DIRECT INTRODUCTION OF QUEENS 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BY THE SMOKE PLAN 



BY ARTHUR C. itILLER 



The diiect iuivoductiou of queens is the 

 oldest method known. Introduction by cag- 

 ing' is of comparatively recent origin, bat 

 by whom suggested I do not know. Various 

 forms of each method have been used from 

 (ime to ti.n;' witli different degrees of s'.ic- 

 ce s, the cag.^ phai prevailing piobably 

 becacss the mianufV.fluieis of mailing-cages 

 i^ent them out with ii s i-uctions for their r.s? 

 in introducing, and the axerage ir.dividual 

 keeps to the beaten way. 



Reaumur, 1 believe, was the first to 

 describe a method of direct introduction, 

 though probably not the first to use such. 

 Little change was made in the direct method 

 until Simmins brought out his fasting plan. 

 Running quesns into nuclei by using tobac- 

 co smoke was of about the same date, being 

 particularly clianiDioned by Henry Alley, 

 but n.ot for use witii full colonies. He used, 

 advocated, and described cage plans for 

 such. At the same- time, tobacco smoke was 

 urged for uniting bees, queen introduction, 

 and for handling cross bees; but for the 

 successful introducing of queens to full 

 colonies it failed to fulfill expectatiors. lis 

 use was based on a theory of odor, the 

 tobacco being supposed to scent the queen 

 and bees alike. How the odor theory orig- 

 inated is a mystery. Certainly no proof has 

 been furnished tliat caged queens accjuire 

 any particular odor. It was affirmed and 

 accepted that they did, and that apparently 

 settled it. But proof is yet to be presented. 



Even Mr. Simmins, in liis successful 

 method by fasting, could not free himself 

 from the idea that odor is an important 

 factor, for he emphasized the us? of a fresh 

 cage for each queen. Following his plan 1 

 introduced many queei:s, using a tubular 

 wire-cloth cage and scalding it after use. 

 That became tiresome, and I used it for 

 several queens without such deodorizing, 

 and found T was as successful as before, 

 and after awhile I finite got over my belief 

 in odor being a factor. But it was a good 

 deal of a nuisance, having to be on hand at 

 dusk to run in queens (Simmins' instruc- 

 tions), so 1 gradually dropped the plan, and 

 used the cage jdan with its varying results. 



In conversation with Mr. Alley l:e was 

 quite positive that it was the odor of th^^ 

 tobacco smoke which insured the safe intro- 

 duction of virgin queens to his little nuclei, 

 and it was to confine that smoke in the small 

 hives that lie plugged the entrance with a 

 leaf, using such because over night it would 

 wilt and release the bees in tlie mornin;' 

 without anv tl'ought on his part. Later I 



learned that virgin cjueens were usually lost 

 by their running out when not confined, 

 rather than by trouble from the bees, so Mr. 

 Alley's leaf rather than the tobacco odor 

 was the reason for his success in introduc- 

 ing virgins to nuclei. 



These and sundry other tilings again led 

 me to try introducing ciueens by direct 

 methods, and it was an easy step to combine 

 the principles of Simmins' fasting plan and 

 Alley's tobacco smoke and confining plan, 

 and api^ly it to full colonies in the daytime. 

 The fasting part got shortened to the point 

 where it vanished, and plain smoke was used 

 instead of tobacco. The fasting was a bother 

 and " died from neglect," and not always 

 having tobacco I used whatever fuel was 

 handy (the tobacco was used because sup- 

 jiosed to be more i)otent in subduing the 

 bees) ; and so by degrees witii many breaks, 

 stops, and backward steps the present diiect 

 method of introduction by smoke and con- 

 finement was evolved. 



This i^lan as now used is as follows: The 

 entrance is reduced to about an inch witli 

 any convenient material, such as grass, 

 leaves, rags, or blocks, and then a few (two 

 to four) puffs of smoke are driven into the 

 hive, and the last inch of the entrance is 

 closed. The bees are soon " roaring " loud- 

 ly. To the novice it may be well to explain 

 that "roaring" is the loud hum of "distress" 

 very different. and much louder than any 

 normal humming of the bees. As soon as 

 they are roaring well the inch plug is re- 

 moved, the queen is run in, followed by just 

 enough smoke to hurry her along and kee]i 

 tlie bees from running out and the entrance 

 is plugged again. In a few minutes, usually 

 five to ten, the small plug is removed and 

 the bees are allowed to ventilate. The whole 

 entrance is not opened at first, or a mass of 

 the bees Avould rush out, and perhaps the 

 queen with them, and at best it makes too 

 much conmaotion. After the bees have ven- 

 tilated and quieted down, the rest of the 

 closing material is removed. Tliis is the 

 method in its simplest terms; but there are 

 several modifying factors whicli, if under- 

 stood in advance, will save bother and i)uz- 

 zling. 



The first is the smoke. To one who is 

 accustomed to using a large-sized smoker 

 w'ith good fuel, " two to four puffs " means 

 one thing, while to tlie man with a small, 

 ]ioor, wheezy affair, and jjoor fuel, it is 

 something else. To make the matter of 

 smoke more plain, I took a good four-inch 

 smoker, loaded it with old burlai), none too 



