7? THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



colony undisturbed until about 9 p.m., or some time after 

 darkness has set in. Take the queen that is to be introduced 

 and place her in a small box, alone and without food, -keeping 

 her thus for not less than half an hour. While she is im- 

 prisoned great care must be taken that she is not chilled ; it 

 is a good plan to place the box containing the queen under 

 the waistcoat to prevent such an accident. Now get a lantern, go 

 to the hive and turn up a corner of the quilt ; drive the bees 

 that come to see what is going on back with a puff from the 

 fumigator, and allow the queen to run in between the combs. 

 Be very careful to keep a sharp look-out that she does run 

 down, as frequently she will get in the folds of the quilt, or 

 under the lugs of the frames. The best method of putting her 

 in is to place a card under the open reversed box, then lay it 

 on top of the frames and slip the card away ; for this purpose 

 a little glass-topped box is preferable, as then one can see all 

 her actions after the card has been withdrawn. Now cover up 

 the hive, and do not disturb it again for at least forty-eight 

 hours. If you are very impatient to know whether the queen 

 has been received properly, spread a sack or cloth in front, and 

 under the entrance of the hive, before the introduction. If she is 

 killed, you will find her lying on this cloth the next morning ; but 

 you will, if the above directions are strictly adhered to, no doubt 

 have to look for her in vain. Other systems of introducing 

 queens come more properly under the denomination of "Uniting" 

 (see pars. 94 to 98). 



126. Placing Supers on Hive.— There may be, perhaps, 

 with many, very little importance attached to the manner in which 

 supers are placed on a hive ; in fact, we are well aware that in 

 dozens of cases they are simply " clapt " on, the cover replaced, 

 and then left to their (or rather the bees') fate. No notice of 

 season is taken : they may be put on in March, if there are a 

 few fine days, or in July, when most of the harvest is over. 

 What is required is observation. When colonies are strong — which 

 means that they must be thickly packed with bees on at least 

 ten frames — it will be time to think of supers. If there are but 

 few flowers blossoming, do not trouble to examine the bees : but 

 as soon as the meadows and hedgerows begin to be well 

 sprinkled with the advance guard of the army of wild flowers 

 to follow, then remove the quilt from off the frames, and note 

 whether the cells on top of the combs are beginning to be 

 elongated. This can easily be seen by the new (white) wax 

 with which the bees are adding to the walls, that they may 

 accommodate the precious nectar that is then commencing to 

 be produced by the flowers ; if this is so, the supers must be 

 put on at once. If a section-rack is to be the super, after 

 removing the quilt, place it on top of the frames ; it will then 



