1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1057 



then put the tiu covers over the cells (Fig. 2), 

 and put the cell-protector into the lai'ge end 

 of the long spiral cage as you would put a 

 cork into a bottle for a stopper. Turn the 

 cell-protector around two or three times and 

 screw it fast to the cage; then put a cage 

 thus prepared in each hole in the cell-bar. 



Ce/? Bar- 



feed CcJP 



FIG. 1. 



This cell-bar may then be fitted into an emp- 

 ty brood-frame about two inches below the 

 top-l)ar of the frame. I like it better to have 

 the top-bar of the frame removed all but the 

 ends to hang in the rabbets of the hive. 

 Prepare the brood-frame with notches made 

 in the frame ends to receive the cell-bar. 



FIG. 2. 



When wooden cell cups are used, having 

 the cells made on them and all nicely capped 

 over, you can use the cage in the same way 

 in the cell-bar. Make a cell-bar if you 

 choose, the same length as the top-bar of 

 your Ijrood-frame; and by taking out one 

 brood-frame lay the cell-bar containing the 



caged cells loosely in the place of the frame, 

 and put a quilt over all until the queens 

 hatch. The llange on the cell cup will keep 

 the cages from falling through the holes of 

 the cell-bar. However, I hatch the most of 

 my queen-cells by hanging the united cell- 

 protector ami cage by their spurs on one 

 side of a lirood-comb. I prefer to hatch 

 them in hives that have no loose queens. 

 The bees will then feed and care for the 

 young queens., when they are hatched, through 

 the coils of the cage. 



HARD STOKE CANDY VALUABLE FOR INTRO- 

 DUCING QUEENS. 



For an introducing-cage I know of nothing 

 so convenient as the spiral cage. I intro- 

 duce nearly all of my queens with it, and a 

 piece of hard store candy for a cage-stop- 

 per. Queens that have not been sent through 

 the mail I introduce at one operation — that 

 is, I remove the condemned queen, and at 

 once put in a new caged queen before clos- 

 ing the hive if I have the queen to put in. 

 I use a piece of hard store candy, 1| inches 

 long or less (according to the length of time 

 I want the queen confined 

 in the cage). The candy 

 is put in the large end of 

 the cage, and then I place 

 a nail or toothpick through 

 the spiral below the candy 

 (see Fig. 3), to keep the 

 candy from falling down' 

 on the queen. The bees 

 will eat the candy from all 

 sides through the cage, and 

 make the candy smaller 

 in diameter. In an ordi- 

 nary swarm a piece of 

 candy 1^ inches long will 

 keep the queen confined 48 

 houi's. If you raise the 

 same length of piece of 

 candy so that it will protrude i inch or more 

 above the cage, the bees will liberate the 

 queen in less time, for they will eat away 

 the candy much faster above the cage. 



I introduce queens more frequently by 

 hanging the cage by its spur on the side of 

 a comb in some out-of-the-way place where 

 there is room for it. When it is necessary, 

 spread the combs apart a little to make 

 room for the cage. I do sometimes lay the 

 caged queen on top of the frames under the 

 quilt or under the frames on the hive bot- 

 tom. In all cases, place the cage so the 

 candy will not fall out of the cage. Let the 

 bees eat the candy. Do not open the hive 

 for a week after the queen is liberated. 



Many queens get killed by opening the 

 hive too soon after the queen is liberated 

 from the cage, which often frightens the 

 new queen and causes her to scramble through 

 and among the stranger bees excitedly, and 

 for this cause many queens get balled and 

 finally killed. 



To use the spiral cage in the baby nuclei, 

 the holes in the cover to receive the cage 

 should be large enough for the cage to go in 

 very loosely. 



