76 MONEY IN BEES IN" AUSTRALASIA 



for its object the introduction of one of Italian blood. 

 The apiarist is also confident of removing two queens, as 

 sometimes happens. (This plan is also good where one 

 has to contend with laying workers, i.e. worker-bees 

 capable of laying only drone eggs, — a purely abnormal 

 condition.) Of course the bees are a little confused at 

 first upon discovering the loss of the regal head. After 

 the black queen is removed the two lots are united, and 

 the cage with the Italian queen is quietly placed between 

 the brood-combs in the warmest portion of the hive. 



It will take from two to four days for the queen and 

 her attendants to eat their way out through the candy, but 

 it is imperative that the hive should be undisturbed for 

 eight or ten days. The queen has usually started to lay 

 and is fairly safe after this lapse of time, but the hive 

 should be opened only sufficiently to remove the cage. 

 Queen introduction is treated under the head of ' ' Queen- 

 rearing. ' ' 



FINDING QUEENS IN BOLTON HIVES. 



Should the apiary be equipped with Bolton hives there 

 is yet another method to be employed. Here is the plan 

 advocated for this hive. The author has never used it, so 

 cannot speak from experience. "All you have to do is 

 simply raise the front of the hive up from the bottom 

 board with one hand, enough to allow of blowing a few 

 puffs of smoke between the bottom bars of the frames. 

 This drives the queen and most of the bees into the upper 

 part of the hive. Quickly raise the top section of the 

 brood-nest and place the excluder between it and the 

 lower one. Now raise the cover and examine it, for you 

 will often find the queen here or on the top bars. If you 

 do not see her blow a little smoke between the frames 

 and down go the bees through the excluder, and after 

 removing the top section you cannot fail to find the queen 

 trying to get below. ' ' 



Having successfully introduced the Italian queens 

 that are to form the foundation of a modern bee-farm, 

 we will probably find that one or two hives by this time 

 have made up their minds to swarm. 



