92 



MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



MAILING QUEENS. 



Queens are now transported nearly always by mail, and sent to all 

 parts of the United States, and even to distant foreign countries, 

 the cage used almost exclusively being the one sliown in fig. 64 or 



some sliglitly modified form of tlie 

 same, ^o attempt was ever made 

 to patent this cage, and as the 

 construction is obvious from the 

 figure given here, anyone who 

 desires can make and use it. The 

 food usually employed in these 

 cages by queen breeders is a soft 

 candy reconunended many years 

 ago as bee food by the Kev. Mr. Scholz, of Germany. The Scholz 

 candy is made by kneading fine sugar and honey together until a 

 stiff dough has been fin-med. Some think it an improvement to heat 

 the honey before adding the sugar. The Yiallon shipping candy 



Fig. 64.— The Benton cage for transporting a queen 

 and attendants by mail. (Original.) 



Fig. 65.— Caging a queen for mailing. (Original- from photograph.) 



consists of four parts of brown sugar and twelve of white sugar, 

 with two tablespoonfuls of honey and one of flour to each pound of the 

 mixed sugars; these, with a little water added, form a batter, which 

 is boiled until it commences to thicken, when it is poured into the food 

 compartment of the mailing cage. Mr. I. E. Good recommended for 



