Tmm sMKRicatp* mmm jQumTsmi^. 



263 



her there, giving the infuriated colony another Queen or a 

 queen-ceil. 



However, not one Queen in one hundred is treated in 

 this waj' when using the above plan, for, as a rule, I find 

 that the young bees that have hatched in the cage with her, 

 have accepted this Queen as their mother ; thus the news is 

 conveyed from them to the rest of the bees in tlic hive, so 

 that she is fed by '• all hands," whicli causes her to keep 

 the cells enclosed by the cage, from which the young bees 

 have hatched, well supplied with eggs. 



The advantage that this plan has over any other where 

 the Queen is to be caged in the hive, is in the young bees 

 hatching out in the cage with the Queen ; and as they have 

 known no other mother, they accept her at once, thus form- 

 ing an escort which the older bees, sooner or later, are 

 obliged to accept, as being a part and parcel of the colony. 



By any of the above plans, there is very little danger of 

 losing a Queen, yet none of them are absolutely safe ; nor 

 would I use them were I to i-eceive a very valuable Queen, 

 sa}- one worth $10, for with such Queens we do not wish to 

 take a particle of risk. 



After studying on the method of forming nuclei by the 

 " caged bees" plan, as I gave in the chapter on that subject 

 I caw that bj' using that process, I had an absolutely safe 

 plan of introducing a laying Queen, even were she worth 

 $100. I have used this plan with all the valuable Queens 

 for several years, and have not lost a single Queen, nor do 

 I believe that I ever shall lose one by it, unless she should 

 happen to tly away in putting her in the box with the bees ; 

 nor will she do this, as long as I clip all of my Queens' 

 wings. 



My usual method of using this plan, is to get bees enough 

 from the upper stories of different hives to form a good, 

 strong colony, doing it just the same as I gave in the chap- 

 ter on forming nuclei, only I take the bees out of four or 

 five different hives, and oft' from 10 to 15 combs, according 

 to the strength that 1 want the colony. After having the 

 bees in the box, they are treated just the same as there 

 described, giving them the valuable Queen, in the same way 

 that the Virgin Queen was given. 



In hiving them, give as many empty combs, or combs of 

 honey, as you choose, but do not give any more brood at 

 this time than you did to the nucleus ; for if more brood is 

 given, the bees sometimes will swarm out with the Queen in 

 a few days, where made so strong, the same as a natural 

 swarm. If you desire to give brood, do it by giving a 

 frame or two at one time every few days, after waiting four 

 or five days from the time of hiving, before giving the first 

 frames. 



If you do not have bees in upper stories having a queen- 

 e.xcluder under them, then go to two or three colonies in 

 ordinary hives, look for the Queens, and as fast as they are 

 found, put the frames that they are on, outside of the hives. 

 Now smoke and jar tlie bees on two or tlirce frames from 

 each hive, till tliey fill themselves with honey, when you are 

 to shake as many bees down through the funnel into the 

 box, as you want in your colony, and proceed as before. 



If you desire to introduce the Queen to a certain colony, 

 (the same as we have been doing by the other plans given), 

 kill or take aw.ay the old Queen, and cause the bees to fill 

 themselves with honey, the same as in the last instance ; 

 when all the bees that you can get, are to be shaken oft' the 

 combs through the funnel into the box. 



Having all of the bees in the box that you can possibly 

 obtain, treat them the same as before, until you are ready 

 to hive them. After they are placed in the cellar or otlier 

 cool place, take all of the combs having brood in them, and 

 give them to the other colonies, leaving one or two frames 

 of honev in the hive, to hold till night, the bees which you di 



not succeed in getting into the box, and those returning from 

 tlie fields. . These combs should be put in the centre of the 

 hive, so that when night comes the bees will be mo.stly 

 clustered on them, instead of about the side of the hive, as 

 would be the case if they were left next to one side of the 

 hive. When you hive the bees having the new Queen with 

 tliem, take these two combs with the bees out of the hive, 

 putting in other combs as before, using only one having a 

 little brood in it, and tliat taken from another hive, so that 

 the}' are not given their own brood. 



Having all prepared, proceed to hive the bees as was 

 done with the nucleus ; or, if preferred, the bees can be 

 shaken down at the entrance, for, as tliis is their old home, 

 they can go nowhere else, even should they try to do so. 

 After the larger part of the bees are in the hive, shake the 

 bees o8' from the two combs, and let them run in with the 

 others. In five da3-s, commence to give the brood back 

 again, and keep on doing so occasionally until all is back in 

 tlie hive, as it was before. 



The above I believe to be an infallible plan for introduc- 

 ing Queens, and well pays for the time and trouble, when 

 we have a verj' valuable Queen coming from a distance, 

 which we would not lose on any account ; yet it will hardly 

 pay to spend so much time on ordinary Queens, except by 

 way of experiment, or when desiring to make new colonies 

 in addition to introducing Queens. Where a Queen comes 

 to me very unexpectedly, I always use this plan, taking the 

 bees from an upper story or two, thus forming a small 

 colony with the Queen, which colony is built up later on, by 

 giving frames of hatching brood. Using it in this way, it 

 always gives me the assurance of success, in any case of 

 emergency. 



He then gives directions for introducing "Virgin Queens" 

 — and shows how to "Keep a Record of the Cells, Queens," 

 etc. The last four chapters are devoted to " Clipping the 

 Queen's Wings" — "Shipping, Queen-Cages, Bee-Candy," 

 etc. — "The Injury done to Queens in Shipping" — "Quality 

 of Bees and Color of Queens "—and advising the rearing of 

 Queens for the pleasure as well as profit it gives. The book 

 is intensely interesting, and ends with these paragraphs : 



Another point right here (and one which I consider worth 

 much more to any one, than the price of this book ; even 

 though he may keep only two colonies of bees), and that is : 

 If you desire to supersede any Queen in your yard, on 

 account of her being too old to be of farther use ; or if she 

 is of another race of bees from what you desire ; all you 

 have to do is to put on an upper stoi-y, with a queen-exclud- 

 ing honey-board under it, place a frame of brood with a 

 queen-cell upon it, in this upper story, and after the j^oung 

 Queen has hatched, withdraw tlie queen-excluder, and your 

 old Queen is superseded without your even having to find 

 her, or having the least bit of time wasted to the colony. 



In fact, the possibilities which this perforated-metal may 

 bring, have only just begun to loom up before us, so that 

 whar the future" may bring forth in this matter can hardly 

 lie (lonccived by anv. Truly, our pursuit is one of the most 

 fascinating of anv of those'that are engaged in by man ; 

 and I am thankfu'l to Him who ruleth all things, that I have 

 a part and a lot in this matter. 



That all who read this book may try to carry out the 

 thoughts herein advanced, to still greater perfection, and 

 strive in the future to rear only Queens of superior value, 

 so that we may soon be able to say, 



"THE COMING BEE IS HERE," 

 is the best wi.sh of the author. 



The book is now ready, and will be mailed to any address 

 for $1.00. All orders should be sent direct to this oQice. 



