Bee-keeping in Victoria. 



67 



released amongst the crowds of her new home. If the queen is 

 removed from the escort of bees which accompanied her in the mailing 

 cage (Fig. 1), and kept alone for half-an-hour, she will beg food 

 of the first bee she comes in contact with, and this is always given 

 her, and thus acquaintance made. For introduction hy this method, 

 what is known as Miller's introducing cage (Fig. 2) is used. (This 

 may be obtained from the dealers in bee-keepers' supplies.) It con- 

 sists of a thin wire gauze cage into which the queen only is put, the 

 square hole at the end being plugged up witli candy from the mailing 

 cage and the cage placed horizontally between two brood-combs. 



The queen will be fed by the bees through the wire gauze till 

 released by the candy being eaten out. 



Under very adverse circiunstances, such as a dearth of nectar in 

 the tiora, robber bees in the apiary, or after wet extracted combs have 

 been returned to the hives when nectar is not coming in freely, the 

 methods of introduction usually employed often fail. If a queen must 



Fig. 1. — Mailing Cage. 



be introduced, it is best, before attempting it, to remove all combs 

 containing brood, except one which is left till evening to prevent the 

 bees leaving and joining neighbouring hives. At dusk, shake the bees 

 off this comb, give it to some other colony to take care of, and hang 

 the caged queen between the broodless combs. When the brood is 

 remove'd the bees should be shaken off and the combs put on other 

 colonies till after the new queen is safely laying, when they may be 

 returned again without bees. . . 



Success in introducing queens is assured largely by a mmunum ot 

 interference and fussing. Most of the failures are due to two causes; 

 either the colony has been kept open too long when hunting tor the 

 old queen or it has been opened and examined too soon and at the 

 wrong time after introducing the new queen. Over-anxiety ot the 

 bee-keeper for her safety often proves fatal to the queen. Under 

 unfavorable conditions bees will sometimes ball their own queens 



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