266 ^ueen Introduction by Caging, 



one-half inches wide, and containing fifteen to twenty 

 meshes to the inch, about the finger. Let it lap each way 

 one-half inch, then cut it off. Ravel out the half-inch on 

 each side, and weave in the ends of the wires, forming a 

 tube the size of the finger. We now have only to put the 

 aiieen in the tube and pinch the ends together, and the 

 queen is caged. The cage containing the queen should be 



Fig. 99. 



^ueen Cage. 



inserted between two adjacent combs containing honey, 

 each of which will touch it. The queen can thus sip honey 

 as she needs it. If we fear the queen may not be able to 

 sip the honey through the meshes of the wire, we may dip 

 a piece of clean sponge in honey and insert it in the upper 

 end of the cage before we compress this end. This will 

 furnish the queen with the needed food. In forty-eight 

 hours we again open the hive, after a thorough smoking, 

 and also the cage, which is easily done by pressing the 

 upper end at right angles to the direction of the pressure 

 when we closed it. In doing this do not remove the cage. 

 Now keep watch, and if, as the bees enter the cage or as 

 the queen emerges, the bees attack her, secure her imme- 

 diately and re-cage her for another forty-eight hours. I 

 have introduced many queens in this manner, and have 

 very rarely been unsuccessful. At such times if the queen 

 is not well received by the bees, then she is "balled," as it 

 is termed. By the expression "balling the queen," we 

 mean that the worker bees press about her in a coinpact 

 cluster, so as to form a real live ball as large as a good 

 sized peach. Here the queen is held till she dies; or at 

 least I have repeatedly had queens balled and the next day 

 would find them in front of the hive dead. By smoking 

 the ball or throwing it into water the queen may be speedily 



