SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE loi 



taining most brcod, with the side of the cages covered with wire down, so 

 that the queen and the bees in the hive have access to each other, and thus 

 form an acquaintance. The frames must be pressed up firmly against the 

 cages so that the cages will not drop down between the combs on the bottom 

 of the hive. 



Do not molest the bees any more for three or four days. During this 

 time the bees and queens w^ill form acquaintance, the queens will be liberated. 

 and all be quite at home together; and if any queens should not be received 

 they have queen-cells, and soon have a laying queen anyway; then she can 

 be killed, and another one introduced. If the bees have not accepted the 

 first queen introduced to them it is not likely that they will accept another 

 one; but just let them raise them one; and as soon as she begins to lay, give 

 them another one. 



Usually bees will start queen-cells with a queen caged in the hive ; and 

 if she is not accepted they will be safe any way. But if queenless bees are 

 supplied with frames of brood in all stages of development from time to time, 

 they will be much more likely to accept queens than if they have been brood- 

 less and queenless for some time. Queenless bees should always be supplied 

 with brood or young bees to feed, because it will keep them from becoming 

 hopeless, and at the same time will keep them built up, and likely they will 

 accept a queen at any time. But when queens are given to such colonies, 

 all queen-cells should be torn down at the time the queens are placed in the 

 hives, for the bees will not be so apt to accept queens with ripe queen-cells 

 in the hive at the time the queens are placed in the hives. 



Sometimes bee-keepers have or buy a choice queen they want to introduce 

 in a sure way. Prepare an empty hive body, bottom, and cover, and set it on 

 a star.d, and look over an apiary and select the choicest frames of sealed 

 hatching brood, and fill the empty hive with them, and close up the entrance 

 so no bees can escape. Then with the small blade of a knife remove the 

 candy through the small hole at the end of the cage so the queen and her 

 escorting bees can easily pass out ; but keep your finger over the hole, for the 

 queen may fly out and be lost ; and place the cage firmly between two frames ; 

 remove your finger, and quickly slip the cover on. In five or six days make 

 an opening so only one bee can pass out. By this time there is a good-sized 

 cluster of bees hatched out, the queen is safe among them, and they are 

 strong enough to defend themselves if the entrance to their hive is very 

 small. In seven or eight days from the time the colony is formed, look over 

 the comb; and if the young bees have nearly all emerged, give the frames of 

 comb back to the colonies you took them from except the three which have 

 the most young bees in them. Let those remain, and from time to time add 

 to this small colony frames of sealed brood until it is a full colony. When 

 you first remove the frames of hatching brood to make the colony, be sure 

 there is not even one old bee on them, for it might kill or injure the queen; 

 and do not add any old bees at any time while building the colony up. The 

 hives where these frames are removed from can at once' oe supplied with 

 extra frames of comb which may be about the apiary, or frames '' -mme 

 full sheets of foundation can be used for this purpose. If t' 



