To Introduce Valuable Queens. 269 
all, and setting it in the middle of the hive containing the 
queenless colony; though it is well to smoke the colony 
well. 
A young queen, just emerging from a cell, can always 
be safely given at once to the colony, after destroying the 
old queen. 
A queen-cell is usually received with favor, especially if 
the colony has been queenless for twenty-four hours. If 
we use a cell we must be careful to destroy all other queen- 
cells that may be formed; and if the one we supply is 
destroyed, wait twenty-four hours and introduce another. 
If we wait seven or eight days, and then destroy all their 
queen-cells, the bees are sure to accept a cell. But to save 
time I should always introduce a queen. 
If we are to introduce an imported queen, or one of very 
great value, we might make a new colony, all of young 
bees. We simply place two or three combs of fully ma- 
tured brood in a hive, and the queen on them. By night- 
fall there will be a goodly cluster of young bees. Unless 
the day and night are warm the hive must be set ina warm 
room. The entrance should be closed in any case. This 
keeps the queen from leaving and robber bees from doing 
harm. Asthe number of bees warrant it, more brood may 
be added, and by adding capped brood alone we may very 
soon have a full sized colony. 
By having a colony thus Italianized in the fall, we may 
commence the next spring, and, as described in the section 
explaining the rearing of queens, we may control our rear- 
ing of drones, queens, and ail and ere another autumn 
have only the beautiful, pure, amiable, and active Italians. 
I have done this several times, and with the most perfect 
satisfaction. I think by making this change in blood, we 
add certainly two dollars to the value of each colony, and 
I know of no other way to make money so easily and 
pleasantly. 
VALENTINE’S COMB STAND. 
In the work of finding queens, and in other manipula- 
tions, it is often desirable to take out frames. If these are 
set down beside the hive they are liable to injury. J. M. 
