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39th YEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL, JULY 13, 1899, 



No, 28, 



Introducing- Queens A Certain and Practical 

 Method. 



BY W. Z. HUTCHINSON. 



TO introduce a queen to a colony of bees, two things must 

 be well considered — the condition of the bees, and the 



condition of the queen. The condition and behavior of 

 the queen are very important. If the queen will only walk 

 about upon the combs in a quiet and queenly manner, and 

 g-o on with her egg-laying-, she is almost certain to be ac- 

 cepted if the other conditions are favorable. lyet her run 

 and " squeal," and utter that peculiar " zeep, zeep, zeep," 

 and the bees immediately start in pursuit. 



To introduce a queen from one colony to another in the 

 same apiary' does not call for the skill needed when a queen 

 has been absent several days from a colony, and is jaded by 

 a long journey. I have frequently taken a queeti from a 

 colony, and caged her to send away, and then immediately 

 taken a laying queen from a nucleus and placed her upoii 

 the spot upon the comb whence I had removed the other 

 queen, and had the satisfaction of soon seeing her sur- 

 rounded by a circle of admiring retainers. I believe that 

 there are times, particularly when honey is coming- freely, 

 when a colony with a laying queen would accept another 

 fresh laying queen, simply by having her placed upon the 

 combs ; and all would go well until the queens came in con- 

 tact. 



So far as the queen is concerned, it is important that 

 she be brought before the bees in a natural manner, in such 

 a place and way as they would expect to find her. When 

 queens have come from a distance they are more difficult to 

 introduce. For the purpose of introducing such queens, the 

 old Peet cage was excellent. It was a poor shipping-cag^e, 

 but, as an introducing-cage, that could also be used as a 

 mailing-cage, it has had no superior. As an introducing- 

 cage it did have o«f objection, and that was that the bees 

 might liberatethequeen too soon ; that is, before they would 

 accept her. It is possible, however, to use such a cage that 

 this objection may be overcome, but the cage cannot be 

 used for a mailing-cage. This is another illustration of the 

 fact that these combination tools are seldom so satisfactory 

 as special tools. 



The style of cage, and the method of using it, that I 

 am about to describe, are not new. I think that Mr. Doolit- 

 tle has used and described this cage. Mr. F. Greiner, of 

 New York, also described it in Gleanings in Bee-Culture for 

 Oct. 1,1898; and I have to thank that periodical for the 

 use of the cuts that appear in this article. 



The cage is made as follows : From apiece of ordinary 

 wirecloth, 6x8 inches square, a piece 1'4 inches square is 

 cut from each corner. Each side and end is then raveled 



out to the depth of % of an inch. The result will be a piece 

 of wirecloth looking something like Fig. 2. The sides and 

 ends are bent up at right angles, making a tray-like cage 

 1'+ inches deep, i^z inches wide, and S'A long, looking 

 something like Fig, 3. 



To use this cage in introducing a queen proceed as fol- 

 lows : First remove the old queen from the colony to which 

 the new comer is to be introduced, then look over the combs 

 until one is found upon which the bees are gnawing out in 

 considerable numbers. Shake and brush the bees from this 

 comb. If the circumstances are such that the comb can 

 now be carried into some room, so much the better, as it 

 prevents any possible loss of the queen by taking wing. If 

 she is dipt, of course this precaution is unnecessary. Place 

 the open side of the cage against the face of the comb:, 

 choosing such a spot that the cage will cover a place where 

 young bees are emerging. It might also be well to include 

 beneath the cage a little unsealed honey, altho Mr. Greiner 

 says that this is not necessary, as the bees will feed the 

 hatching young as well as the queen. There certainly can 

 be no harm in allowing a little unsealed honey under the 

 cage. Remove from the shipping-cage all of the escort 

 bees that came with the queen. With the queen alone in 

 the shipping-cage, open one end, and place the open end 

 under the wircloth cage, raising one end of the latter for 

 this purpose. Watch carefully, and as soon as the queen 

 leaves the shipping-cage draw it out and press down the 

 wirecloth cage, thus caging the queen against the surface 

 of the comb. Press the cage into the comb until the ends 

 of the wires at the sides and ends are firmly embedded in 

 the septum or midrib of the comb. This must be done care- 



TlC-3. 



fully, yet thoroly, or the bees may undermine the cage and 

 kill the queen before the time comes when they would ac- 

 cept her. 



In replacing the comb be sure that sufficient ro6rii is left 

 so that the bees can pass between the cage and the adjoin- 

 ing comb. The queen will soon have a retinue from the 

 newly-hatcht bees that are ready to accept her, as they have 

 never known any other queen. She will soon begin laying 

 in the few cells that are at her command, and when she is 

 releast will be in nearly a normal condition, and surrounded 

 by quite a little band of loyal followers. 



In three or four days, if a fine escort i-; found hatcht 



