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. Remove 
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 :— 
‘‘ Tn 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. 
