DF:CEMBER 15, 1914 



Some have woiulei'ed wliy tobacco-smoked 

 bees are so suscepUI)le to robbers. It is 

 because they are made sick by the fumes, 

 and disg-orge the honey they liave in their 



honey-sacs, which attracts robbers. I have 

 noticed, after tobacco-smoking them, that 

 the inside of the hive would be sticky with 

 honey. 

 Vincennes, Ind. 



SOME OBSEMVATIONS ON MECENT REPORTS OF QUEEN INTKO= 

 DUCINC BY THE SMOKE METHOD 



BY ARTHUR C. MILLER 



Rejiorts of the Avidely varying results by 

 the new direct method of introducing queens 

 naturally raise the question, why the wide 

 difference? 



A careful analysis of the articles suggests 

 at least three distinct causes; first, confus- 

 ing the new with the old smoke method; 

 second, improper use of smoke; and, third, 

 failure to grasp or follow the instructions, 

 simple though they are. 



The new method is like the old in only 

 two factors — bees and smoke. The confining 

 factor was entirely lacking in the old meth- 

 od, and failure was more frequent than 

 success. Somebody a hundred years and 

 more ago ran in some queens by smoke. 

 Incidentally, about the same time it was 

 found that when twenty-four hours were 

 allowed to elapse between the removal of 

 the old and introduction of the new queen, 

 success was fairly well assured. From time 

 to time during the century following, other 

 persons tried the smoke method, only to 

 drop it, and but two or three in all that 

 time noting the twenty-four-hour factor. 



Tlien arose a variation of the old smoke 

 plan in Avhich the new queen was compelled 

 to fast for half an hour, more or less, and 

 was then run in at night — a successful pro- 

 cedure in most instances, but time-consum- 

 ing, and a bit troublesome in the night 

 factor. 



niPORTANT REQUISITES OF THE NEW SMOKE 

 METHOD. 



Then came the new method, and in the 

 originator's hands always successful, the 

 rare exception merely proving the rule. 

 Other persons also have been equally suc- 

 cessful. The new method emphasizes the 

 closing of the hive so neither the queen can 

 escape nor the bees free the hive from the 

 smoke. The confinement of both is impor- 

 tant, and by the old smoke method neither 

 was confined. Naturally, if a person has in 

 mind the old way and tries it again the 

 results will be as variable as always. If we 

 are to introduce at any hour of the day we 

 must temporarily prevent the queen's es- 

 cape. If we are to create and sustain the 

 desired and necessary condition of distress 

 we must shut in the smoke and do it so 



completely that the bees can get no relief 

 until it is the operator's pleasure. This is 

 not possible in cracked, warped, leaky, un- 

 painted hives. And in hives of two or more 

 chambers, or if much of the space is unoc- 

 cupied, as, for example, a small nucleus in 

 a full-sized body, smoke enough must be 

 used so that the contained air will be so 

 smoke-filled that its circulation will not 

 afford relief. 



Then the smoke must be of a suffocating 

 nature; hence the instructions to get a cloud 

 of "thick white smoke," and use just enough 

 of it to get the bees into a heavy roar and 

 then run in the queen and shut in the smoke 

 and queen for about ten minutes. 



At once somebody, " to make assurance 

 doubly sure, gives them a good hard smok- 

 ing." Now, a good hard smoking generally 

 means a vigorous pumping of the bellows, 

 getting up a strong hot fire, and the hot 

 jjurning smoke produced thereby works 

 very differently on the bees from the " thick 

 white " sort. _ First, it irritates the bees 

 often to a point of vicious attack on every 

 thing, including each other. Second, it does 

 not fill the hive with a suffocating cloud 

 which will produce the desired distress. It 

 seems strange that some veteran beekeepers 

 are apparently quite ignorant of the effect 

 on the bees of various sorts of smoke. 



Some persons never can grasp and follow 

 instructions; and the more simple they are, 

 the wider the operator digresses from them. 

 For example, I have only to cite the many 

 failures to make so simple a thing as hard 

 candy, the making of which every lively 

 youngster is supposed to be able to do. 



FAILURE TO FOLLOW METHODS PRESCRIBED, 

 AND THE RESULTS. 



Some persons are prone to make varia- 

 tions of any method to suit their precon- 

 ceived notions before trying the method as 

 given ; and then on failing they lay it to the 

 method and not to their innovations, which, 

 likely as not, were tried out and discarded 

 by the originator of the said method. This 

 is very evident in reading the reports on the 

 new introduction system, as well as on 

 scores of other things pertaining to bee 

 culture. 



