92 



MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



MAILING QUEENS. 



Queens are now transported nearly always by mail, and sent to all 

 parts of the United States, and even to distant foreign countries, 

 the cage used almost exclusively being the one shown in fig. 64 or 



some slightly modified form of the 

 same. No attempt was ever made 

 to patent this cage, and as the 

 construction is obvious from the 

 figure given here, anyone who 

 desires can make and use it. The 

 food usually employed in these 



FIG. 64.-The Benton cage for transporting a queen ca cr es by UOeil breeders is a Soft 



and attendants l>v mail. (Original.) 



candy recommended many years 



ago as bee food by the liev. Mr. Scholz, of Germany. The Scholz 

 candy is made by kneading fine sugar and honey together until a 

 stiff dough has been formed. Some think it an improvement to heat 

 the honey before adding the sugar. The Viallon shipping candy 



FIG. 65. Caging a queen for mailing. (Original from photograph.) 



consists of four parts of brown sugar and twelve of white sugar, 

 with two tablespooufuls of honey and one of flour to each pound of the 

 mixed sugars; these, with a little water added, form a batter, which 

 is boiled until it commences to thicken, when it is poured into the food 

 compartment of the mailing cage. Mr. I. E. Good recommended for 



