INTRODUCING QUEENS. 
91 
the one; which is one method of performing what is called arti- 
ficial swarming. ’ But if it be done after this period, and 
where the scarcity of honey pasturage would render it unwise 
or unsafe to form a new colony; then the native queen should 
at once be abstracted from her colony, aod a few hours later, 
when the workers have discovered their loss and have become 
dispirited by their unsuccessful search for her, the hive con- 
taining the Italian queen should be placed on a level spot of 
ground near its future stand, with a swarmiog cloth tacked to 
and spread on the ground in front of it. Then, after smok- 
ing, or alarming the remaining bees contained in the origin- 
al hive until they are gorged with honey, they should be sha- 
ken from their combs on the swarming cloth. As soon as 
they have entered the hive, now placed on its stand (which 
they will do in a short time), on their becoming quiet and 
composed, open the hive and hang into it the remainder of 
their combs, thus by degrees transferring the entire contents, 
except the native queen, from one hive to the other. ” 
“ This process is somewhat tedious, but I have not yet 
learned of a single instance where it has been unsuccessful, 
except by the escape of the Italian queen before any of the 
bees had entered her hive ; and this may be prevented by 
clipping one of her wings. As a colony will never receive a 
strange queen so long as they possess a fertile one, in all the 
processes for introducing queens the first act to be performed 
is the abstraction of the incumbent queen, and the apprisal of 
the workers of their loss by shaking the bees from several 
combs into their hives. This usually so alarms them that 
they proceed at once to gorge themselves with honey, which 
renders them so docile and tractable, that I have, in a great 
number of cases, introduced Italian queens as soon after as 
they indicated their consciousness of the loss of their queen, 
by their moaning noise, by simply taking the Italian queens 
by their wings, with the thumb and forefinger of my right 
hand, and slowly and gently placing them on the top of the 
combs of the queenless colony among the workers, still hold- 
ing her fast, however, until the workers indicate their willing- 
ness to receive and treat her kindly, which they usually do by 
offering her food, and such other manifestations of favor as 
they habitually display towards their own queen. This al- 
lays all her fears of violence from them, and, when released, 
which may be done, if kindly treated, within a minute after 
presentation, sho will glido down between the combs with 
