106 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT 



Mr. Wheeler — Could you introduce them after that time? 



Mr. Stanley — ^Yes. 



Mr. Whitney — Could you introduce that virgin queen into 

 the center of the hive where there is a laying queen, and not 

 have any of these virgin queens killed? 



Mr. Stanley — Yes; they can be cared for in the colony 

 with the laying queen. 



Mr. Moore — They simply can't get at them. 



Mr. Stanley — Certainly. 



Mr. Moore — They are protected by the zinc. 



Mr. Whitney — The question is about the bees killing 

 them. 



Mr. Stanley — I haven't had any trouble with the bees 

 killing them. 



Mr. Wheeler — Do they ever attempt to ball them? 



Mr. Stanley — No, I have never had any trouble with 

 balling. 



Mr. Wilcox — Would it not be better, in introducing them 

 into a hive, to put them in an upper story with a queen- 

 excluding honey-board ? 



Mr. Stanley — If there are bees enough it would be just 

 as well; all they require is to be kept warm. 



Mr. Wilcox — You supply them with food? 



Mr. Stanley — You don't need to supply them; the bees 

 feed them. 



Mr. Wilcox — The bees will not feed the virgin queen? 



Mr. Stanley — Yes, the bees feed the virgin queens while 

 they have a laying queen in the hive. There probably are 

 cases where they will not, but it can be brought about so 

 that they will. 



Mr. Wilcox — I have very often slipped a virgin queen in 

 the hive with a laying queen, and found her dead afterwards. 

 I thought they killed her or starved her to death. 



RE-INTRODUCING A BALLED QUEEN. 



"When a laying queen is balled in introducing, what 

 method should be adopted to introduce her again to the 

 same colony?" 



Mr. Whitney — That comes directly in line with some 

 practice I had a year ago, although I didn't ask that question. 

 I introduced the queen to a queenless colony for a young 

 lady who bought a colony of bees from me, and the next 

 day or two afterwards she wanted to see whether that queen 

 was accepted or not. She found they had eaten out the candy 

 and the queen was liberated. I told her there was a little 

 danger in opening that hive so soon, but if she cared to haye 

 me do it I would try to do so. I opened the hive and I 

 didn't find the queen — I gave them a little smoke — I was 

 afraid perhaps they had killed her. The young lady looked 

 down into the hive at the bottom and she said, "Mr. Whitney, 

 what is the matter?" I looked in and I said, "There they 

 are balling that queen as sure as you are alive." I put my 

 hand down and took that ball of bees out and shook them 



