224 AUSTRALASIAN 



cut out the notch (a) to communicate with the hole, sufficiently 

 large to admit the queen after the wire cloth is tacked on. 

 Cover both sides of the block with fine wire cloth (as in figure), 

 and tack on a strip of tin 2in. long by half-an-inch wide, to the 

 centre of the solid end, in such a manner that it may be turned 

 at right angles to the cage. 



Place the queen to be introduced, with a worker or two, in 

 the cage, and plug up the notch pretty firmly with some comb 

 in which there is a little honey to answer as food. Eemove 

 the queen you are about to supersede, and queen cells if any, 

 and hang the cage by the tin from the top bars of two of the 

 centre frames. The bees will liberate the queen by gnawing 

 away the plug of wax. Examine the hive in twenty-four hours. 

 If honey is scarce feed liberally while introducing. 



DIRECT INTRODUCTION OF QUEENS. 



Mr. Simmins, a prominent English apiarist, has made known 

 a system by which he claims to be able to introduce queens 

 successfully without going through the usual process of caging 

 them. A number of leading bee-keepers have reported 

 favourably of the method, while some failures have also been 

 mentioned. Briefly the system is as follows : — The queen to 

 be introduced, with the comb she is on and the adhering bees, 

 are taken straight from the nucleus or other hive that she may 

 be in and placed at once in the centre of the queenless 

 colony. To quote his own words : — 



" In manipulating use smoke as under ordinary conditions, not on 

 any account to excess. Never handle the queen, or cause her to 

 become restless by any carelessness on your part. The comb to be 

 inserted with queen and bees should not be taken from one part of 

 the apiary to another openly in the hand ; nevertheless, let it be 

 carried in a nucleus hive, or comb-box having no lid so the bees may 

 be exposed to the light and air. The colony to receive the queen 

 should first have its combs parted to give ample room to insert 

 the queen-comb without crushing, or the bees ' brushing ' each other ; 

 let the whole surface of the frames be exposed to the light while 

 obtaining the nucleus, then insert the same and close the hive at once. 

 When no honey has been coming in feed over night the colonies to be 

 operated upon. . . . The original queen is not to be removed 

 until the introduction takes place. 



I have not tried the above plan, but I believe it would work 

 very well during the busy season. 



