The Honey Bee 



1403 



never used it, I have nothing to say, pro or con. I have, however, 

 used a cage for introducing for three or four years past, which is 

 applied to the surface of the comb in a similar manner. It is made 

 thus, — take a piece of wire cloth of about ten meshes to the inch, 

 four inches square, cut a square inch out of each corner, then bend 

 the projecting parts at right angles to the centre, making a cage 

 two inches square and one inch deep ; then ravel out the sides one 

 half inch in depth, leaving the wire projecting that much to press 

 into the comb. 



To use this cage, 

 press it into the 

 comb until the wires 

 touch the septum or 

 pass through it a lit- 

 tle way, always plac- 

 ing it over some un- 

 sealed cells of honey. 



I think there is no 

 advantage in having ^<'- ^^- Wright's Introducing Cage 



brood inside of the cage, neither would I confine any workers 

 with the queen. 



With this cage there is no need of looking up a perfect comb, as 

 it can be placed upon any comb containing honey and it is hardly 

 possible for the bees to knaw into it. The combs may also be 

 placed at the regular distance apart without interference. 



When the bees are gathering honey, I usiially remove the old 

 queen and immediately replace the new one in the hive, leaving 

 her caged twenty-four hours or so, then remove the comb and drill a 

 hole through the cage, from the opposite side, being careful not 

 to injure the queen. Leave the hole plugged up with broken comb 

 and honey, and the bees will soon liberate the queen while the 

 colony is in a state of quiet. 



Whenever it is desirable to cage reserve queens, they may be 

 confined in this way for two or three weeks, without harm. 



I have tried a number of different methods and cages for intro- 

 ducing queens, but have as yet found none better than this." 



W. D. Wright, Knoiversville, N. Y. 



