DECEMBER 1, 1914 



923 



the midrib. The idea of this method of 

 introducing was to give the queen immedi- 

 ate access to honey in the comb, impart to 

 her the odor of the comb, and at the same 

 time afford her an opportunity to lay eggs 

 prior to her release. An egg-laying queen 

 is much more easily introduced than one 

 just taken from the mail-sacks; and this 

 method has the advantage that either the 

 owner or the bees themselves can release the 

 queen. It involved the principle of the old 

 Peet cage of 30 years ago that was so uni- 

 versally successful. It was revived in later 

 years by various people, notably by the late 

 W. Z. Hutchinson. The plan is described in 

 his work, " Advanced Bee Culture." 



We very seriously considered the advis- 

 ability of substituting this method of in- 

 troducing in all our mailing-cages; but we 

 dropped it for the time being, as the smoke 

 method, introduced by Mr. Arthur C. Miller, 

 seemed simpler and was just as sure of 

 results. But quite a few have failed in 

 making the Miller method a success, either 

 because the directions were not carefully 

 followed or because the method will not 

 meet all conditions. Among the number 

 was E. J. Ladd, connected with the Portland 

 Seed Co., Portland, Oregon. Some consid- 

 erable correspondence between him and our- 

 selves arose over different methods of in- 

 troducing. In two of his late letters he 

 stated that he had had excellent results with 

 the caged-comb plan. The last letter from 

 him will speak for itself. 



This year's experience has proven to us that it is 

 far from safe to trust bees to release caged queens 

 from the ordinary mailing-cage. In some instances, 

 and with some colonies, the bees were so savage to 

 get at the new comers that they actually fought each 

 other in their scramble for places, acting like de- 

 mons, and this during a honey-flow and no robbing. 

 In just such cases as this we succeeded by using the 

 wire-cage method, but found it necessary to select 

 old and tough combs for the purpose, as newer combs 

 were torn to pieces in the mad frenzy of the bees in 

 trying to cage the queen and attendants. 



Cages made and used were about 4x5, and these 

 were pushed down solid to the midrib of old and 

 tough combs containing some honey and sometimes 

 some brood ; and when using such combs in no in- 

 stance was a single bee released by the bees them- 

 selves. The frame containing the new queen was 

 placed in the center of the hive and left there until 

 the bees showed a disposition to accept the new com- 

 ers. When this disposition was shown the cage was 

 lifted and all inside at once became part of the colo- 

 ny. Frequently the queen lays while caged, and 

 takes up her motherly duties on a larger scale when 

 released. 



We have given this method a severe test the past 

 season, and with an apiary that acted more like 

 demons than normal rational bees, and we are firm 

 in our belief that this method is thoroughly depen- 

 dable, even under adverse conditions. We also 

 expect to use it when introducing valuable queens 

 and in full colonies. 



Memory carries me back to an early mailing and 

 introducing cage that had a tin back that was drawn 



out when the cage was placed on a comb. There 

 were two sharp tin strips fastened to the side of the 

 cage, which were to be pushed through the comb and 

 bent over, and these held the cage securely in place. 

 The use of these cages was discontinued, chiefly for 

 the reason that the tin gave a poor footing for the 

 bees, and many queens were injured in the mails. 

 The wire-cage method as used by us is really a modi- 

 fication of the old-time mailing-cage just described. 

 And, by the way, I do not remember losing any 

 queens when using that old-time cage. 



By using the wire cage, success is assured; but it 

 does take a little more time and patience. We know 

 that hundreds of queens are lost annually in intro- 

 ducing by the mailing-cage method, leaving the re- 

 leasing to the bees themselves. We also know that 

 many purchasers in this vicinity believe all there is 

 to do is to follow instructions as printed and leave 

 them alone; then in a month or so wonder why the 

 new bees don't show up, etc., implying the rascal 

 who supplied the queen sent a mismated cull; and 

 when the colony is examined by one who knows, and 

 matters are explained as to the whys and wherefores 

 ■ — -well, then there is a different story, and you can 

 guess the rest. 



We endorse the wire-cage method as being safe, 

 practical, and dependable for introducing queens just 

 as strongly as we do the use of rubber bands for 

 rapid work in fastening combs when transferring, 

 and of which we wrote you some time ago. 



Portland, Ore., Nov. 2. E. J. Ladd. 



It may be we should consider whether or 

 not we should adopt the plan even now ; but 

 one thing that makes us hesitate is the fear 

 that the average beginner would not be able 

 to get a queen transferred from the mailing- 

 cage into the introdueing-cage where there 

 was honey, brood, and young bees. 



We should be glad to get reports from 

 some of our subscribers who may have test- 

 ed the thing out during the past season. In 

 tlie multitude of counselors there is wisdom. 



Those Two Carloads of Bees froim 

 Mediitia to ihe Dismal Swamnip, Va^; 

 the Proposiftion of Tr^ " 

 Qimeeng 



As pointed out on page 572, Aug. 1, the 

 taking of carloads of bees south to Apalachi- 

 cola, Fla., and bringing them back to Medi- 

 na, after making increase, proved to be 

 rather expensive. While we did not lose 

 out on the proposition, we did not make 

 very much money by it. The experiment, 

 however, was watched narrowly by beekeep- 

 ers all over the world ; and from the stand- 

 point of furnishing information through 

 this journal it was worth all it cost. If it 

 had not been for the fact that the bees were 

 sold in colony, nucleus, and pound package 

 form, we should have lost money; but as it 

 was, we were able to clean up a little to the 

 good ; but it is very clear to us that no one 

 whose only source of revenue would be 

 honey would be able to move bees from the 

 North to the extreme South in ear lots, and 



