i6o A Modern Bee-Farm 



will sometimes even herself be the first to attack the bees, 

 and then, of course, there is no hope for her if not again 

 confined. All these misfortunes are brought about through 

 the necessity of operating by daylight, but there are one or 

 two other methods which do not necessitate so much manipu- 

 lation. The " Raynor " cage, consisting of a narrow and long 

 wire cage, can be passed down between two combs from the 

 feed hole in quilt (if one), while with a wire rod connected 

 with a small hinged plate at the bottom, the operator can, 

 after the usual lapse of time, release the queen without 

 ■opening the hive. I must here add what I know to be an 

 improvement : — Release the queen after darkness has set in, on the 

 night of the same day she is inserted. 



Mr. Cheshire places a flat cage on (not cut into) the capped 

 brood, where it is held by a spring passed over the top bar, 

 when in the course of a few hours the bees cut a passage under 

 the edge of the cage, and thus liberate the queen without 

 further disturbance. For greater security let me advise some- 

 thing more definite : Put the queen in towards evening, so that she 

 may be liberated of a certainty during the quiet hours of the night. 



Though there are many methods of caging, I will call 

 attention to only one more, which is deserving of some notice. 

 Mr. G. M. Doolittle, an American bee-keeper, uses a flat cage, • 

 having an area of 4 or 5 inches square ; this, with the queen 

 in, is pressed down to the mid-rib of the comb just over 

 hatching brood. Of course all the young bees hatching out 

 pay homage to the only queen they know ; and the cells thus 

 vacated are occupied by eggs laid by the confined queen. By 

 this time there is not much doubt about the queen being 

 Accepted by the rest of the population, and she may be 

 released. In this case it is evident that food must be present, 

 therefore see that the cage also takes in an inch or more of 

 -sealed store. Where food is given to a queen confined in the 

 ■" Raynor,'.' " Cheshire," or any other cage, honey from the same 

 hive should alone be supplied ; and on no account may any of the 

 i)ees which accompanied her be placed in the cage ; but it is 



