312 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



years ago. We acknowledge that this 

 method cannot always be used, as the per- 

 son who wishes to introduce a queen can- 

 not always know when she is to arrive. 

 Whenever it is possible, we notify our 

 customers 5 or 7 days in advance of sending 

 queens, so that they can have their stocks 

 ready. Not a few also, order (fueens sent 

 at a certain time, when the colonies will be 

 m readiness. All good things have their 

 bad points, and this matter of time is the 

 only drawback to the method of any ac- 

 count. The fact that the stock is queenless 

 so long, amounts to very little, as more 

 vacant place is at hand and a prolific queen 

 quickly occupies all the space. 



We believe that failure with this method 

 generally occurs from leaving the stock too 

 long, if not attended to until the tenth 

 day, a young queen is often hatched, and 

 she is difficult to find. If she remains, the 

 queen to be introduced is imperiled. We 

 notice that failures with any and all the 

 methods, do not occur frequently with 

 energetic bee-keepers who know their 

 trade. This forces us to believe that most 

 of the failures are due to inattention and 

 inexperience. After a stock has been 

 queenless seven days, it is a very easy mat- 

 ter to find all the queen cells, as they have 

 attained a good size. Commencing at one 

 side, lift out or slide back the frames until 

 you come to brood, pick up the frame and 

 grasping it firmly, give a strong, sudden 

 jerk downwards. This dislodges most of 

 the bees, and the cells are in plain sight. 

 With a pointed instrument pick oft' all the 

 cells. Proceed in this manner through the 

 brood nest, place all back, close the hive, 

 roll the queen in honey, drop her in through 

 a hole on top, and if you have done your 

 work thoroughly, you need not fear as to 

 results. 



Mr. Dadant admits that two queens do 

 sometimes exist in a colony, and the one 

 remaining kills the one to be introduced. 

 The seven-day method effectually prevents 

 this loss. 



After the September number of the Jour- 

 nal was issued, several of our customers 

 tried Mr. Dadant's plan, and three that we 

 know of, reported failures while one report- 

 ed success. 



The method of carrying queens for 36 to 

 48 hours has with us, and with many of our 

 customers, failed to give good satisfaction. 

 When a strong queen is taken directly from 

 a nucleus or stock and put into a cage, the 

 stock just made queenless recognizes her 

 royalty and generally feeds and cares for 

 her, hilt as she is caged they generally start 

 queen cells. If the bees are fickle, as hy- 

 brids and blacks often are, the queen is in 

 peril when released, unless these rudiments 

 of queen cells are removed. But with 

 queens long confined in cages, when sub- 

 jected to rough treatment in the mails, the 

 case is quite different. To such this caging 

 is most pernicious. We would much rather 

 keep such a queen in a cng<^ supplied with 

 food in our vest pocket, than in a stock of 

 bees, unless food is supplied to her in the 

 hive that the l)ees cannot get. Even then 

 they seem to prosper better out of the hive, 

 if kept comfortably warm. 



We consider the reasons to be these: — 

 The bees know that this queen is strange. 

 She is in a cage and can do them no good. 

 They have plenty of material from which to 

 make a queen. Considering all these points 



they conclude to let the queen alone, and 

 many times these queens are starved to 

 death, unnoticed by the bees while they 

 are constructing cells. If perchance the 

 queen is alive, the queen cells nuist be care- 

 fully taken off to insure her safety when 

 released, and even then the bees may see 

 fit to start others, sometimes killing the 

 queen at once, at others they keep her for a 

 considerable time, sometimes until the 

 (jueen cells hatch. During all this time she 

 is kept from laying, sometimes so badly 

 abused that she looses her fertality. 



We do not overdraw the case, as we know 

 just such a case this summer with a neigh- 

 bor, and have known them before. We do 

 not say that success cannot attend this 

 method. We have often succeeded with it. 

 But it is attended with much uncertainty as 

 we are at they mercy of the bee's Avhims. 

 When a cage is used, it should have a tin 

 band nearly two inches wide at the top. 

 Through this put two small holes K incTi 

 from tiie top. Put in the queen, insert a 

 sponge well filled with honey, stick a large 

 pin tlirough the sponge and through the 

 holes, and hang the cage in the hive. The 

 honey-board or quilt keeps the bees from 

 the top and the queen is secured plenty of 

 food. 



When queens are received on short notice 

 we proceed as follows, and succeed well. 

 Go to a stock in normal condition, remove 

 the queen, let the stock remain until eve- 

 ning (it is best to remove the queen early in 

 the day), then take out the combs, forcing 

 the bees to fill themselves pretty well with 

 honey, by the use of smoke. "Have some 

 sweetened water, scented with anise or 

 peppermint, in a small sprinkling pot hav- 

 ing a fine spray. Spread this evenly over 

 the bees and combs, taking care not to get 

 them too wet. This makes them peaceable 

 and disguises the presence of the queen 

 who can be allowed to run in, or better still, 

 she can be rolled in a little honey and 

 dropped among the bees when the hive is 

 closed. If this is done in the evening, rob- 

 bers can do little or no harm, as by morning 

 the bees have everything in order. 



If honey is scarce or the stock weak, con- 

 tract the entrance to give them the advan- 

 tage of the situation. In three days look in, 

 and if queen cells are started take them off. 

 Examine again in seven days, to remove 

 any queen cells that may be started and to 

 see that all is right. We consider the last 

 two methods good, when circumstances re- 

 quire their use. But with them the bees 

 have the power to do as they like. With 

 the seven-day plan they have no alternative 

 but to accept our terms. We hope to hear 

 from others upon this subject. 



J. H. Nellis. 



Canajoharie, N. Y., Oct. 16, 1876, 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Notes by the Way. 



We are quite asliamed of our treatment of 

 you, dear old Bkp: Journai-, even though 

 it has been altogether unavoidable. We do 

 not know, really, how many promises we 

 have nuide to write for your entertaining 

 columns, but we c7o know that many oi 

 them remain unfulfilled. But the bqsy 

 season is nearly over, and with the advent 

 of the winter nuuiths, we shall endeavor to 

 make all of our promises good, if scribbling 



