QUEENS. 145 



furnish them Ibrood from which to rear a queen, which 

 they will generally accept. 



3d. The bees may usually be induced to fill themselves 

 with honey by smoking, yet it is sometimes desirable to 

 sprinkle them with liquid honey or syrup, for the pur- 

 pose. If honey is not being gathered, the necessity for 

 operating when all the bees are in the hive, at morning 

 or evening, so that all may be induced to fill themselves, 

 will be evident. 



3d. It has been recommended to add to the syrup or 

 honey some kind of essence which would give them all 

 the same odor. Others depend upon smoke, using to- 

 bacco as a preference. "Whatever scent is used, both the 

 queen and bees should be pervaded with the same. 



4th. The covering of the queen with honey or syrup 

 will attract the bees when she is placed among them, and 

 they will realize her identity as a queen while licking her 

 off. I usually find rotten wood sufficient for smoke, and 

 the use of honey from the hive which is to receive the 

 queen will ordinarily afford the required similarity of odor. 



Among the varied methods of introduction, that which 

 will allow the new queen to be introduced soonest after 

 the old one is removed is most desirable. If I were to 

 introduce a very choice queen with the least possible 

 chance of losing her, I would make a stock queenless, and 

 leave it in that condition eight days. The queen-cells 

 which they naturally construct should then be removed, 

 after smoking thoroughly, and as they would be expect- 

 ing a queen, and deprived of eggs or larvae from which 

 to rear her, they would undoubtedly be in a favorable 

 mood to accept her majesty. If the queen is now smeared 

 with honey, and placed between the frames at the top, 

 there is hardly a chance that she will not be accepted. If 

 the bees are busy collecting honey, the work may be done 

 at any time of day, but when honey is but sparingly 

 gathered, I prefer doing it after the be<is stop flying at 

 1 



