INTRODUCING QUEENS. 
93 
with perfect composure, which, in turn , allays all suspicion 
or excitement among the workers, and relieves her from dan- 
ger. If, however, on presenting [her she is attacked by the 
workers, she should, without delay, be withdrawn (without, 
however, making such a quick or rapid movement as to ex- 
cite the bees), and the attacking bees instantly crushed. In 
the couise of a few minutes she may again be presented, 
sometimes with success ; but if not, she should be removed 
as before, and replaced with her own nucleus, in doing which 
the same precaution should be used as in presenting her to 
the new colony, otherwise . she may perish by the cruelty of 
her bees. On the following day, after smoking the queen- 
less colony until all the bees aro thoroughly subdued and 
gorged with honey, the queen may again be presented as be- 
fore directed. If they shall refuse to receive her, it is safer 
to let them remain for seven days from the time they were 
deprived of their queen, by which time it will be found they 
have constructed a greater or less number of queen cells 
upon their combs, in which embryo queens are being reared. 
All these should be removed, or the embryo queens destroyed. 
On the following day, after again smoking as above described, 
the queen may be presented as before. 
Last year, in introducing probably sixty queens by this 
process, only three or four failed of success. It, however, 
requires some skill, judgment, and experience in handling 
bees. 
Another method is to first remove tho incumbent queen, 
and on the following day prepare a small fine-meshed wire 
box or case (not of brass or copper), about three inches long 
by one and one-half inch in diameter, with an aperture atone 
end large enough for the free passage of the queen. In this 
cage should be placed a small piece of honey-comb containing 
enough honey for the queen aud half a dozen bees for a pe- 
riod of four or five days. The queen, with half a dozen 
“workers,” should then be placed in it, and the entrance of 
the aperture closed with a covering of wax, the cage sus- 
pended firmly between two combs in that part of the hive 
where most of the bees are clustered, and in such position 
that the bees in the hive may communicate readily with the 
queen, and have free access to the wax-closed aperture. 
They will soon gnaw it open and release her. Several other 
contrivances have been resorted to, but with limited success. 
