and its Economic Management. 167 



present while confinement lasts, and a supply continued if the 

 weather is not favorable. 



Simmins' Direct Introduction Proved. 



It is only in the ordinary course of human nature that my 

 very successful system of direct introduction should have some 

 envious detractors ; but a more extravagant statement than 

 that made by one bee-keeper can hardly be imagined. It was 

 to the effect that .while he admitted " the queens Would be 

 safely introduced, they would not lay for many days, and the 

 bees paid them no attention, consequently, in a short time a 

 number were thrown out of the hive." 



In his eagerness to condemn the system he only shewed 

 the more plainly his own ignorance of the nature and habits 

 of bees. It is no fault of the system, if he experimented 

 only with aged queens, or, on the other hand, inserted virgin 

 queens, which, failing to mate, turned out useless, or were 

 lost because of unsuitable weather foj them to fly and become 

 fertilised. Strange, indeed, he does not know that if a queen 

 is once accepted she is at once treated as the reigning queen, 

 and no amount of specious reasoning to the contrary can alter 

 the fact. 



Why is it, in my own case, my queens go on to lay at once, 

 and remain in the respective hives month after month, and are 

 only removed when sold, it may be one, two, or twelve months 

 thereafter ? 



And why should numerous correspondents write as follows : 

 " I have inserted thirty queens by your method and all have 

 been successful and done well " ? The ^umber may be more 

 or less, but the unsolicited testimonials must have some element 

 of truth in them! Note Mr. D. A. Jones' statement, already 

 given. Surely the bee-king of Canada would not favor the 

 method if it only meant loss of queens ! 



Who has once read Mr. F. Cheshire's testimony in his 

 valuable work, and can for a moment doubt the value of my 



