

STATE bee-keepers' ASSOCIATION. 107 



and there that queen was and they hadn't hurt her. I re- 

 caged her and put her back and left it till the next morning, 

 when I pulled the plug out and in three or four days the 

 queen was all right. 



Dr. Miller — There is just one part that might be added 

 to what Mr. Whitney has said. He says that he introduced 

 that queen the second time in the morning. 



Mr. Whitney — No; 1 introduced her immediately. 



Dr. Miller — About what time was it? 



Mr. Whitney — About the middle of the day it was that 

 we looked, and I introduced her again, but plugged up the 

 cage so that she couldn't get out, and left her there over the 

 frame till the next morning, and then carefully removed the 

 frame and didn't disturb the bees at all. 



Dr. Miller — That is the point — if. you free her at a time 

 when the bees are likely to be troublesome, in the morning. 

 Any other time in the day you will not be quite so safe as 

 if you free her just at night when there will be no chance 

 for robbers or foreign bees to get in. In this case it is the 

 queen with which you have had trouble, and you want to take 

 mpre than ordinary care. So take the additional precaution 

 to liberate her at night and you will be safe. 



Mr. Wilcox — I thpught perhaps there might be a word 

 more said in regard to the manner of picking up that queen 

 in the ball. He said he picked it up with his fingers and put 

 it in the cage. 



Mr. Whitney — No ; I scooped the whole ball of bees up 

 from the bottom of the hive with my hand and shook them 

 out and the bees were very much surprised. 



Mr. Wilcox — Sometimes a bee-keeper is, too ! I could 

 recommend those that are very timid to use a little table 

 spoon and pick up the ball and throw it into some water. 



Mr. McCain — In regard to the ball of bees, I would like 

 to ask if it is a dangerous or unwise thing to smoke the 

 ball. 



Dr. Miller — Yes, and no. I take the smoke and I will 

 warrant that one way I use it they will kill the queen, and 

 another way I use it they will not hurt the queen. Hold the 

 smoker off far enough so that the cold smoke comes upon 

 them, and they will leave it about the same as they will when 

 you throw them into the water. Get some bees in your 

 fingers and hold the smoker up so that the smoke will be 

 hot and see if you don't get stung. You will be sure to kill 

 the queen if you blow hot smoke on it. 



Mr Kimmey — I don't know anything about these matters, 

 but I have had just a little experience. I got a queen, and 

 found after she was liberated the bees had balled the queen 

 in the bottom of the hive, and I picked it up and laid it on 

 top of the frames and moved it a little, and it never occurred 

 to me that they would sting me; and the queen flew away 

 and I thought, "Well, surely she has gone." But I waited 

 about an hour, or something like that, and I looked again 

 and I found the queen back, balled in the bottom of the hive. 

 I simply picked it up, from my previous experience, and 



