DKCEMBER ir>, 1914 



973 



(Conversations with Doolittle 



INTRODUCING QUEENS AND SOMETHING ELSE. 



'' Will you tell us how to introduce queens 

 safely'?* I did not have good success the 

 past season, losing fully one-third of all 

 I tried to put in full colonies. I once asked 

 a man who said he had no trouble in intro- 

 ducing to tell me how it was done. He said 

 he would do so if I would give him $5.00, 

 and that it would be cheap at that price to 

 me. That might be so; but some way my 

 spirit rebelled, and I was not told how." 



Many times, in my experience of over 

 forty years with queen introduction, I have 

 thought that I had a plan that Avould never 

 fail ; but Avhen a time of scarcity of nectar 

 came, sufficient to cause the bees to be crazy 

 for robbing, to an extent that, in trying to 

 find the queen I wished superseded, the bees 

 were worried almost to exasperation in try- 

 ing to defend their stores, or when I had a 

 queen to introduce which had come a long 

 distance so that she was inclined to run 

 about among the bees immediately on being 

 let loose among strange bees, then it was 

 that my sure plan did not always work as 

 formerly. In fact, there are few things laid 

 down in bee culture that are not likely to 

 turn out so contrary to our previous exi3eri- 

 ence and expectation that the whole indus- 

 try seems to be a series of surprises (and 

 they are not always happy surprises either), 

 so that there ai'e very few jjlaees where a 

 hold-fast rule will apply. 



Generally the directions for introduction 

 accompanying a queen will prove safe in the 

 hands of most Ijeekeepers ; but where I have 

 any queen which I consider of special value 

 I take one frame of honey and two of 

 mostly emerging brood (as nearly so as is 

 possible), and put them in a hive, together 

 with two other frames containing mostly 

 empty comb. This hive has window-screen 

 tacked to the bottom, and a close-fitting 

 cover at the top, making sure that no bee 

 can either get in or escape till I am ready to 

 open it for the little colony which will be 

 formed by the emerging brood. Having the 

 hive thus fixed, with the five frames proper- 

 ly spaced next to one side of the hive, the 

 whole being in the honey-room next to the 

 window, so there is no danger of the queen 

 getting away if she should chance to fly, the 

 cage containing her is opened, and she and 

 all her accompanjdng bees are run in on 

 the combs when the cover is put on and all 

 made bee-proof. This hive is now placed 

 over the bare frames of a populous colony, 

 the heat from which is sufficient to cause 



the brood to emerge the same as if a prime 

 swarm had left it, as is done at swarming 

 time. Six days later this hive is set on the 

 stand it is desired to have it occupy, and a 

 small entrance opened, when in a few days 

 a nice little colony will be formed which 

 can soon be built up into a good colony by 

 giving three or four frames more of emerg- 

 ing brood. By this plan I have never lost a 

 queen in an experience of over twenty years. 

 But with only an ordinary queen the labor 

 involved Avill more than otfset the occasional 

 loss which may occur with any of the many 

 good plans of introduction which are before 

 the public. 



But I wish to say a few words regarding 

 selling a plan for $5.00. If the man in 

 question was a reader of any of the bee 

 literature now at the command of the public 

 he should have remembered that he had 

 received untold value from the many writers 

 who have gone on before. It would seem 

 that many — -yes, very many — have so for- 

 gotten, for the one desire which is appar- 

 ently taking possession of the hearts of 

 many of the people seems to be to get all 

 they can, by hook or crook, of the things of 

 this world, no matter what becomes of their 

 fellow-beings. I have prided myself in the 

 thought that beekeepers as a class are not 

 so selfish as many in other pursuits; but if 

 this is so the man wishing to receive $5.00 

 for information regai'ding how to introduce 

 a queen must be an exception to the general 

 rule. For nearly half a century I have 

 profited by the many good things which 

 have been freely given through the printed 

 matter in our books and papers on bees; 

 and should I not as freely give of whatever 

 I may have wrought out as have those who 

 have helped me? 



Here is a thought I should like to leave 

 with the readers of Gleanings. When a 

 young couple start out on life's voyage they 

 put all their energies together that a com- 

 fortable and happy home may be made. 

 The husband does not try to defraud or take 

 advantage of the wife, nor the wife the 

 husband, but both work together to accom- 

 plish the same object — the blessedness of a 

 comfortable home. Now, I wish to say that 

 what is good for that family is good for 

 the great family of beekeepers in this nation 

 and in the world. Still further, what is 

 good for the family is good for a State; 

 what is good for a State is good for a 

 nation ; and what is good for a nation is 

 good for the world ; for we are all brethren. 



