134 ^ Modem Bee-Farm 



cells of honey, within the margin of the cluster, and press it down 

 to the mid-rib of the comb with a cutting motion. The queen 

 now has plenty of food, and if the perforations are fine enough 

 the bees are unable to molest her. After forty-eight hours, give 

 a puff or two of smoke, carefully examine the condition of the 

 bees nearest the cage, and if simply passing their tongues through 

 the perforations, the queen may be released without fear of the 

 bees attacking her, but all the same watch their actions closely for 

 a few moments. If all is well the bees will gather around her, but 

 not thickly ; those nearest will clean her with their tongues, while 

 one or two may be seen feeding her. Under that condition the 

 hive may be closed and left, but should they be found clustering 

 tightly in large numbers about the cage, at once close the hive and 

 wait another twelve hours ; and in case a queen is attacked after 

 being released (which is known by the bees forming into a knot 

 about her and stinging each other in their endeavour to so do to 

 the stranger, called "balling"), then confine her again, first dispers- 

 ing the angry cluster by heavy smoking. 



When inserting queens by caging, it is necessary to keep all 

 queen cells destroyed, or the new-comer will seldom be received. 

 She is present in'the hive all the time the bees know they have the 

 means of raising their own, and hence a dislike once began is only 

 fed into an angry flame simply by the continued irritation caused 

 by the constant attempt to get at the stranger. 



The queen will sometimes even herself be the first to attack the 

 bees, and then, of course, there is no hope for her if not again con- 

 fined. All these disturbances are brought about through the necessity 

 of operating by daylight, but there are one or two other methods 

 which do not necessitate so much manipulation. The " Raynor " 

 cage, consisting of a narrow and long wire cage, can be passed 

 down between two combs from the feed hole in quilt (if one), 

 while with a wire rod connected with a small hinged plate at the 

 bottom, the operator can, after the usual lapse of time, release the 

 queen without opening the hive. I must here add what I know 

 to be an improvement : — Release the queen after darkness has set in, 

 on the night of the same day she is inserted. 



