140 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



market this month and next — the re- 

 sult there is a so called "glut" in the 

 honey market — " let it go slow," it is 

 just as safe on your own shelves as it 

 is in the New York stores, and you 

 stand a better chance by shipping late 

 than you do when sent so early, or at 

 least the first of the season. Honey 

 should bring a very fair price this 

 season as basswood was a failure gener- 

 ally, and that is the principal crop of 

 our largest producers in this and the 

 surrounding states. 



Keep no queenless stocks after this 

 month. Unite all weak or queenless 

 stocks. Be prepared to go into winter 

 quarters in October, when I will give 

 all the minute details for wintering. 



As ihe honey harvest is about over 

 we shall be pleased to receive full re- 

 ports from all of the new beginners. 

 You need not mind whether your re- 

 port is good or bad, send them along 

 for publication. — Tvedwell. 



THE THREE METHODS OF INTRODUCING 

 QUEENS. 



As the introduction of queens by any 

 mode will not be for the instruction of 

 the '" vets," I think we should make 

 the best way we know of as plain and 

 simple as possible, that the most un- 

 skilled and nervous juvenile in the-art 

 could not make a failure. 



We have three old, standard meth- 

 ods, all tending to or involving the 

 same principle, that of causing the 

 queen to*act as careless of the presence 

 of any strangers as if she were in the 

 home from which she had just been 

 transposed. I have always held that, 

 in successful introduction, everything 

 depends upon the action of tlie queen. 

 If we could persuade a virgin of four 



or five days to act as much like a lay- 

 ing queen as does one of a few hours, 

 we would have as little trouble getting 

 the bees to accept her as we do the lay- 

 ing queen. But we can't. Almost the 

 first antennae that touches one of that 

 age she starts, throws up her wings in 

 a "touch me not " manner, and is next 

 seen racing over the combs with a few 

 old veterans of the field in her wake. 

 Finally she is captured and held tight 

 by each hind leg. This is the beginning 

 of the end. The result is she is balled 

 and if not aided is killed. I think it 

 pays a queen breeder better not to fuss 

 with virgin queens more than twenty- 

 four hours old. 



The first, and I think the best, of all 

 plans is that of caging the queen on one 

 of the comb, allowing the bees to lib- 

 erate her by cutting away the comb, 

 and it matters little where she is placed, 

 whether over hatching bees or not, only 

 that she is put where she can get honey 

 from the cells, if she is not provided 

 with food in the cage. After she is so 

 placed do not disturb the bees for at 

 least 48 hours. It is well to observe 

 this in any way we get a new queen to 

 a colony, unless they have been queen- 

 less at least seven days or until they 

 have had time to build and seal a batch 

 of cells. Then they will accept almost 

 any well behaved queen. 



The next best way is in having a 

 cage with a place of exit filled with 

 " good candy ;" the bees will eat it away 

 making a clear passage for" her royal 

 highness" to stroll out at her leisure. 

 Some one has said by the time the 

 bees have eaten away the food they 

 will be in a good humor and will ac- 

 cept the queen, but I believe the bees 

 are always in a good humor when in 



