Sept. o 1911 



cartons, and sent tliem out to our leading 

 queen-breeders and some others who have 

 made a special study of this method of in- 

 troducing. We append here a few letters 

 containing suggestions that are worth con- 

 sidering. 



Dear Ernest.— You've struck it. The new combi- 

 nation of two old things makes, as you say. less 

 danger as to conveying foul brood: but I doubt if 

 that is its greatest value. The Benton is a good 

 sliipi>ing-cage. but not at all convenient as an in- 

 troducing-cage. There is not room for it between 

 combs without leaving out a comb, and in most 

 hives there is not room for it over top-bars, and 

 danger that the queen may not be released in the 

 latter case. With the present combination the 

 shipping-cage is just as good as ever, and the in- 

 troducing-cage of the best. With reasonable in- 

 structions the mere.'Jt tyro can hardly fail at intro- 

 ducing. There is plenty of room for the cage when 

 the frames are shoved close together in regular 

 place. 



Marengo, 111. C. C. Miller. 



The new type of mailing-cage is a distinct ad- 

 vance. In con.struction it may be subject to some 

 modifications, as. for instance, on the back a hole 

 for putting in the queen and attendants. It will 

 prove hazardous to try to pass them under the 

 points of wire of the edge of the cover. The cover 

 slioxild be deeper (say ^s in.), and it may be helpful 

 to have it a little smaller, and have saw-slots in the 

 block to take the edge of the wire cover. This will 

 lessen the possibility of the cover being acciden- 

 tally slipped off when out of the carton: also of wire 

 points being turned out and puncturing the car- 

 ton. It is a marvel that the present type of cages 

 has been allowed by the postal authorities. The 

 sharp wire edges and often leaky, sticky candy- 

 holes, are an outrage, and the sooner we remedy 

 them the better. 



As to in.structions for introducing, trouble is to 

 be looked for from many a novice, as picking up a 

 queen, even from a window-pane, is a fearsome act 



The manner of folding the cage. 



to most of them. The escaping workers, I think, 

 will many times be allowed to fly away rather 

 than be killed. The possibility of infection from 

 them when so liberated is very slight, however. 



The caging is quite as good if done over honey, 

 pollen, and empty cells as over emerging brood; 

 and this is rather better in some way.s, as the queen 

 may lay if cells are polished, and a lot of young- 

 sters crowded under the cage occasionally exhaust 

 the food supply. Feeding through the wire is un- 

 certain. I have sometimes thought I gained by 

 including cells containing unsealed larvee, as the 



555 



queen will use their food in an emergency; but this 

 may cut very little figure either way. 



Two factors should be emphasized. The colony 

 should not be dequeened more than 24 hours before 

 the queen is introduced, or the queen should be 

 put on a comb containing eaa-s- — taken from some 

 other colony— and that put into the colony to be 

 retiueened. Queen-cell.s should be destroyed as a 

 matter of policy, although the comb of eggs often 

 cau.ses the bees to tear them down. Their reaction 

 to the presence of eggs, liowever, varies, perhaps, 

 according to the age of cells. I have not followed 

 this far enough to state positively. 



A full quarter-inch is little enough to push the 

 cage into the comb, particularly if it cuts any un- 

 sealed cells. The queen will be free in from eight 

 to twenty-four hours. 



Providence. R. I. Akthcr C. Millkk. 



Well do I remember the Peet cage of a quarter of 

 a century ago. It was a srand cage for introducing 

 queens, but a poor one tor shipping. Your idea of 

 combining this methed with the Henton cage is a 

 good one. I suggest that you provide for plenty of 

 ventilation in your new model, for I am now fully 

 satisfied that the cages as now made do not allow 

 sufficient air. For about two month.s I have been 

 tacking a piece of pasteboard, about t% inch thick, 

 near each end of each cage before bunching them 

 together. 



if a customer wants a dozen queens I make two 

 bunches of six cages each, and the.se little pieces of 

 cardboard holding the cages apart allow the air to 

 pass all over the wire cloth as it should, especially 

 during hot weather. Before adopting this method 

 of packing I lost several queens: but since I have 

 been mailing queens packed as above described I 

 have had remarkable success. 



This one little knack of providing extra ventila- 

 tion has saved me many dollars: therefore I suggest 

 that, it you inclose the cage In a carton, you so ar- 

 range it that the bees nuiy have plenty of air. When 

 the wire cloth is telescojied over the cage I see no 

 way in which to put the queen and attendants into 

 the cage, as the wire cloth telescopes over the cage 

 so as to cover the hole in the end of the cage: there- 

 fore I suggest that you 

 provide a door some- 

 where. J. P. MoORE. 

 Morgan, Ky. 



One or two of our 

 queen-breeders have 

 called attention to 

 the difficulty of get- 

 ting the bees and 

 queen in the new 

 form of cage. Expe- 

 rience shows us that 

 the hole will have to 

 be located on the 

 bottom of the cage, 

 a:id not on the sides 

 or ends, as shown 

 in the cuts. The 

 hole in the bottom 

 should be covered 

 with perforated tin 

 as before. 



Mr. A. C. Miller 

 calls attention most 

 forcibly to some of 

 the glaring defects of 

 the old mailing-cage. 

 Some of these de- 

 fects, as will be seen, are removed entirely 

 in the new form of cage. For example, in 

 the new style the feed can be sealed in much 

 better. If there is no hole where the bees 

 eat out the candy, there will be no leakage 

 except where the bees can get at it and lick 

 it up. It is strange that Uncle Sam has not 

 made trouble for us before, on account of 

 leaking candy in mailing-cages, especially 



Wire-cloth corners cut out be- 

 fore folding to make the intro- 

 duclng-cage that telescopes over 

 the wooden part. 



