QUEEN BAISINO AND INTBODUCING. 143 



system of direct introduction, which he had proved in 

 practice to be not only safe but speedy. So confident 

 was he of the success of this method that in supplying 

 queens to customers he guaranteed successful intro- 

 duction, if the rules he laid down were faithfully 

 carried out. In " Ivo " apiary, since the system was 

 first made public, scores of queens have been intro- 

 duced according to the following instructions, and up 

 to the present time not one failure has been recorded. 

 The stock amongst which it is intended to introduce 

 an alien queen, if not already queenless, must be 

 rendered so by removing the queen on a fine day at 

 noon — in fact, the same day that the queen arrives, 

 if received from another apiary. The hive is then 

 closed and not touched again until evening, when all 

 the bees are in the hive. Just before dusk the queen 

 to be introduced must be taken alone, and placed in 

 a match-box or other receptacle, where she will be 

 free from a chill, and kept there for about half an 

 hour. Then go to the queenless hive, taking a light 

 if necessary, gently draw back the corner of the quilts, 

 give a slight puff of smoke between the combs, and 

 let the queen run into the hive. Eeturn the quilts, 

 replace the roof, and make no examination of the hive 

 for twenty-four hours or more. 



Tfie Howard queen cage for transmitting queens 

 by post and introducing them on arrival, is really the 

 well-known " Benton " cage (Fig. 51), with an arrange- 

 ment for liberating the queen. On the arrival of the 

 queen by post, the lid must be removed from the 

 cage, when its place is taken by a piece of perforated 

 zinc. The cage is then placed over the spacQ between 



