BEE MANUAL. 



223 



trying to get them to accept a queen even when introduced in 

 the usual way. Last season, when introducing some queens 

 that had just arrived from Italy, I succeeded with four out of 

 five without any trouble, each taking up their respective 

 stations in less than twenty-four hours, but the fifth one I 

 found balled, and was just in time to save her. I caged her 

 again but in such a way that the bees could not liberate her, 

 and on looking over the combs I found queen cells com- 

 menced, which I destroyed. In twenty-four hours I turned 

 the queen loose, when the bees again balled her ; this occurred 

 twice more, when I gave it up with that colony and tried 

 another, to which she was successfully introduced by the 

 following day. 



Fig. 105.— ALLEY'S rtfTRODTTCIUG CAGE. 



From what has been stated in a former chapter it will be 

 understood that if we wish to change our bees from one variety 

 to another we have only to change our queens. In this way 

 we may change from blacks to Italians, or vice versa. 



I have used several kinds of introducing cages but the most 

 simple and handiest, according to my judgment, is Alley's (Fig. 

 105). I have used no other for the past two seasons. It is 

 made by boring a l|in. hole half-an-inch from one end in a 

 small block of wood 3in. long, 2in. wide, by half-an-inch thick ; 



