THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



For the Americaa Bee Journal, 



Introducing Queens. 



Friend Bee Journal : — With yonr permis- 

 sion I propose paying a few words on the intro- 

 duftion of queens. As this subject, in view of 

 the efforts now making to establish the Italian 

 race oi' bees m our country, is a matter of prime 

 importance to bee-keepers, it is essential that 

 the principles on which the operation can be 

 safely conducted, should be fully discussed, in 

 order to be correctly understood. 



So far as I am acquainted with the facts, those 

 giving us a ?c«y, rarely give us a reason for their 

 success, that the novice may know on what 

 principles to conduct the operation. Hence 

 my object in this article is not to tell of some 

 other way to do this thing, for all that can be 

 asked is that Wiq process should be sliort and the 

 result CERTAIN. I simply wish to show iohy 

 the methods already given are successful, or 

 why they are not. 



If I correctly comprehend the subject, all the 

 methods thus far practiced are based on one or 

 the other of two important facts in the natural 

 history of the bees — facts which should never 

 be lost sight of for a moment, by those having 

 this thing in hand. The first of these facts, and 

 the one generally acted upon, so that the de- 

 privation of a queen creates an abnormal con- 

 dition of the colony bereaved, appealingdirectly 

 to the law of self-preservation, which causes 

 the bees to accept an offered remedy, on the 

 principle that "drowning men cling to straws." 

 Hence if the operator conduct the matter on the 

 conditions of bereavement, he must either prac- 

 tice some method like that given by Kuauff or 

 Mr. Gallup, which takes advantage of the first 

 excitement caused by deprivation ; or delay the 

 case until the bees are made conscious of their 

 inability to rear a queen, and the abnormal state 

 is fully established. V 



The second fact to be taken advantage of, is 

 the one so happily hit upon by Mr. Allen's 

 plan. It is, that bees have no means of re- 

 cognition, except through the sense of smell. I 

 am fully satisfied that a colony of bees in a nor- 

 mal condition will never accept of a strange 

 queen under a7iy circumstances^ except through 

 mistaken identity. 



Hence Mr. Allen's plan of smoking the bees 

 with tobacco, and removing the queen without 

 their knowledge, would seem to present as favor- 

 able circumstances iov practicing deception upon 

 them as could well exist. The bees and queen 

 are made of the same scent by this plan, which if 

 properly conducted leaves nopossible chance for 

 the bees to detect the cheat. 



Thus we have presented the two methods of 

 introduction. The first embracing all those 

 which make the recognition of queenlessness, by 

 the bees, an ultimatum of success, and consequent- 

 ly a matter of choice with the bees ; and the 

 second relying on the completeness of a decep- 

 tion. 



I have never tried Mr. Allen's plan, but am 

 disposed to regard it as the best yet presented — 

 both in regard to sJiortness and completeness. 

 It not only makes all of the same scent, but also 



sribdiies the anger of the bees ; which is a very 

 important matter. That many queens are lost 

 by arousing the anger of the bees in the act of 

 introducing a queen, and then leaving them to 

 wreak their vengeance on the first thing that 

 comes in their way, is a matter too little heeded. 



If bees show a disposition to sting when a 

 queen is being introduced by any of the methods 

 adopted, the bees should at once be thoroughly 

 subdued by smoke. 



I have on two occasions had a queen killed by 

 her own bees, just because I had aroused their 

 anger, and left them to hunt a new object of 

 spite. The facts satisfies me that the bees 

 when angry, are not above human nature, but 

 sometimes do that under such excitement which 

 they would never do under other circumstances. 



For this reason I would say to all introducing 

 queens, never trust any one to the " embrace" 

 of an angry colony of bees. Force them to 

 yield by some means, and then you are safe. 



G. A. "Weight. 



Osage, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Introducing Italian Queens. 



Editor Bee Journal : — There are several 

 methods given for the safe introduction of Ital- 

 ian queens, neither of which is always success- 

 ful. The one recommended requires that the 

 native or black queen to be removed six or 

 eight days before the Italian is introduced. 

 Tliis method also requires that the stock be ex- 

 amined once or more, and all queen cells cut out 

 or destroyed, making considerable trouble and 

 delay, and keeping your stock of bees without 

 a laying cjueen tor several days. All other 

 plans which I have seen published, are alike 

 faulty. It would be very desirable to the bee- 

 keeper to be able on the same day he receives 

 his Italian queen to introduce her at once, 

 without any risk of her being destroyed. Be- 

 lieving that I have discovered such a method, 

 I will give it to my bee-keeping friends, after 

 having, I think, fairly tested it. "When I wish 

 to introduce an Italian cjueen, if the stock is in 

 a movable comb hive, I at once search for and re- 

 move the native queen. I then drive all the 

 bees into an old box hive, or some other conve- 

 nient box ; or otherwise brush them off the 

 combs any way to get them out of the hive into 

 the box. As soon as I have done this, I take 

 the hive and place it on the swarming table, 

 and shake the bees out of the box, letting them 

 run into their hive again, the same as if I were 

 putting in a swarm. And when they are going 

 in, I let out my Italian queen among them. 

 She runs in with the rest, and is at once accep- 

 ted, I have never known it to fail. 



J. H. Thomas. 



Brooklin, Canada "West. 



Seasons, situations, and the laws of nature, 

 present influences which may be guarded against 

 or assisted, but which cannot be completely 

 controlled. 



