168 



THE PRACTICAL BRE GUIDE. 



299. Direct Introduction. — It is found that a new queen can 

 generally be introduced safely if run into the hive from above, 

 at night, without disturbance of the stock, and when the queen 

 is in a hungry condition, and, therefore, ready to accept food 

 from the bees, and to show neither fear nor fight. Remove 

 the old queen a few hours before night-fall. When darkness 

 is setting in take out the young queen, and put her into 

 a match-box, keeping her without food for not less than half 

 an hour. When it is quite dark, take a lantern to the stock : 

 quietly raise a corner of the quilt, and let the young queen 

 run out of the match-box down among the frames : cover up : 

 and do not open that hive again until at least 48 hours after- 

 wards. The same match-box must not be used for another 

 queen. This is the "direct method" introduced by Mr. 

 Simmins many years ago, and one of the simplest and most 

 successful methods that can be adoi^ted. 



300. Sending Queens per Post Queens, being sent per post, 



or upon any long journey, require to have some attendant bees, 

 and a supply of suitable food en route. The simplest travelling' 

 box (Fig. 100), one that can be made without expense, and that 



has been used with satisfac- 

 tory results, consists of a 

 piece of soft wood 3"xi"xJ". 

 With a S" centre bit, two 

 holes, i" from centre to cen- 

 tre, are bored nearly through 

 the wood, and one hole with 

 a f" centre bit. The wood 

 between the holes is cut 

 away, as shown ; and, for 

 ventilation, three or four holes in each side are bored with a 

 fine bradawl. The food, consisting of honey and fine, icing 

 sugar, as a tough dough, goes into the 

 small hole, and the queen and her at- 

 tendants occupy the remainder of the 

 space. A piece of broken section, 

 3" X ]", makes a lid. The box is 

 wrapped in flannel, and brown paper 

 (ventilation being x^rovided for), has a 

 tie-on label, and is dropped into the 

 post like an ordinary letter. More 

 elaborate travelling boxes are made to serve as introducing 

 rages also, so that the box ran be introdured at once to the 

 hive, and the queen lie liberated in due course. (Fig. loob.) 



Fig. 100. 

 QUEEN TEATELLING BOX. 



W^ 



•^ ^ 



Yv?.. lonb. 

 QUEEN CAGE. 



