THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



93 



Your colonies homo, (it will be well to place 

 them where they are to remain for the sum- 

 mer, on separate stands four or five inches 

 from the ground, a board standing ofl' a foot 

 or more from tlie entrance to the ground, 

 facing tlie east, and set under a tree or bush, 

 tliat they may be shaded from the sun during 

 the heat of tlic day,) you had better feed them 

 every day or two, a little syrup made citlier 

 from brown or maple sugar. This will stim- 

 ulate to a rai)id production of brood, the great 

 desideratum at this season. A cheap, easy 

 way to feed, is to take an old oyster can, melt 

 both ends out, then tie a piece of factory over 

 one end for a bottom. If you liave a movable 

 comb hive, cut a llap, by cutting on three 

 sides, out of your quilt or carpet, just the size 

 of the can, turn this back, and set the can on 

 and turn in the syrup. The bees will sip up 

 the tluid as it oozes tlirough the factory. This 

 is covered by the upper story of the hive, or 

 the same that covers the boxes in summer. 

 The can may be as easily placed on the holes 

 in the top of a box hive and protected by the 

 same box that covers the honey boxes in the 

 season of gathering. This feeding had better 

 be continued sparingly till the fruit trees are 

 in full bloom, and even afterward, if there are 

 several successive days too cold for the bees 

 to fly, or if there are no flowers to gather 

 from. . 



But you ask, How^ am I to get the bees into 

 my new hive '? As soon as the bees are busy 

 gathering honey, select a bright warm day, 

 and when the sun is well up, and the bees all 

 at work, don your bee hat and gloves, for 

 every beginner should protect himself, and 

 with a burning piece of rotten wood or roll of 

 cotton cloth, blow some smoke into the en- 

 trance of the hive, keep doing this for five min- 

 utes, then invert the hive and place a liox, 

 previously prepared, at least of the capacity of 

 a half bushel, and which just fits the hive, on 

 top of it, wrap a cloth about the lines of junc- 

 tion, so that no bee can possibly get out, then 

 rap on the lower hive with some small sticks 

 for twenty or thirty minutes, paying no heed 

 to the many bees constantly returning from 

 the field; at the end of this time, take ofi'the 

 upper box very carefully set it on the old stand, 

 and so raise it up that the " uots" can go in. 

 Take the old hive, with the few still remain- 

 ing bees, and carry it to some close room. 

 Dotf hat and gloves, for these bees will not 

 sting unless pinched, and with hammer and 

 axe pry the old hive carefully apart, striving 

 not to break the comb. With a long knife 

 cut out the cards of comb, entire if possible. 

 Take each as it is cut out, place it on several 

 thicknesses of thick cloth, which rest on a 

 board say two feet square, which in turn rests 

 on a barrel. Place a frame on the comb, and 

 cut the comb so that it will just fit in the 

 frame. Place the comb in tlie frame and fast- 

 en in by winding with two small wires or 



strings. Do so till all the comb is neatly and 

 carefully fitted into the frames. Be very 

 careful not to injure th(! lirood. Carry the 

 hive, with its frames all in place, and quilt 

 on toj), liack to tlie stand, set it on a l)oard, 

 with the front raised, say a half of an inch, 

 place a wide board in front, and taking the 

 box (you now liave the veil or hat and gloves 

 on,) shake all the bees on to the board close 

 up to the hive. They will soon take posses- 

 sion, and feel entirely at home, and show tlieii- 

 appreciation of their new home, by going 

 speedily to work. In three or four days they 

 will have fastened in the combs, and you can, 

 protected and armed with smoke, proceed to 

 take oft' the strings or wires. In all your 

 handling of your bees be careful not to make 

 a quick motion, nor jar the bees. If afraid, 

 remember you are well protected and forget 

 that you have any nerves. Do all this and 

 keep studying your book, and in the next I 

 will instruct you further. 



^u^isiti0U!!Si and §^u^tvn\si» 



CONDUCTED BY CH. DADANT. 



INTRODUCING QUEENS. 



"What is the best mode, for a beginner, to 

 introduce an Italian queen ? " 



J. E. B., Nauvoo, Ills. 



As soon as the Italian queen is received, 

 hunt for the black queen and take her out. 

 Then put the Italian queen in a cage made 

 with a piece of wnre-cloth, about eight meshes 

 to the inch, four inches square, and rolled in 

 the shape of a tube. Both ends are stopped 

 with a bit of corn cob. The cage is put 

 horizontally between two brood combs, one 

 inch or so under the top bar, and as much 

 as possible against sealed honey, which 

 should be scratched a little, so that the queen 

 can feed herself, if the bees don't take this 

 care. 



The next day, remove the cage, and replace 

 one of the hoppers with a bit of sealed honey. 

 Put the cage back in the same place, and 

 shut the hive, acting very quickly. The bees 

 Avill suck the running honey, and cut the 

 damaged cells. Some of them will cut at the 

 cage and will caress the queen, who will go 

 out very quickly and be well received. 



The theory of introduction is fixed upon 

 this fact, that if the bees are unaware of the 

 call of their queen, they will construct no 

 queen cells, and will more easily accept 

 a strange queen, than if they had com- 

 menced their preparations to take a queen; 

 and in the second place, if the colony 

 is (luiet, without robbers, and the queen her- 

 self ([uiet, too, she will not be considered as 

 a strange bee. 



