May 10, 1888.] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
393 
offering them another, hut this is not the law. The quotation from his 
essay, page 68, does not apply, as the whole sentence reads as follows :—• 
“ The only safe method of joining queens is to allow sufficient time to 
elapse, so that the bees miss the queen ; then after that cage the alien 
queen in one of ‘ A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper’s ’ cages, between combs, 
and on the third day if queen cells are in progress excise, after which, 
or should none'be built, the queen may be released.” Here we see the 
law is clearly not alluded to, as the presence of unsealed brood is 
implied, or where would the “ queen cells ” have come from “ on the 
third day ?” Our friend has also named the late Mr. Woodbury as the 
author, but his articles in the Journal just before he died clearly show 
that he had no faith in it as a safe and sure method ; as he advocated 
dividing a strong stock, removing the queenless half to a fresh stand, so 
as to draw the old bees off, and cage the fresh queen for two days 
amongst the remaining young ones ; this he recommended as the safest 
plan to follow. Therefore I cannot admit that he had grasped the law, 
for at the end of two days the old bees, left queenless and broodless on 
the old stand, would have accepted the fresh queen, even more surely 
and certainly with less trouble than the young half. When trying this 
plan in my younger days I was always very unfortunate, as every bee 
that could fly left the old stock hive and the brood as soon as they 
missed their queen, and so left too few bees to care for or keep the brood 
warm. When their old queen is left with them there is not this 
difficulty or risk. 
I wrote our friend to inform him the result of my search, and saying 
I could not understand it at all. I know very well he has had the same 
idea for years, and has been so near the law as to advise in his articles 
that it was unsafe to liberate a queen if the bees had the means of 
rearing another. And even in his articles to the Journal as late as 
March 1st and 8th last, he advises the excision of all queen cells on the 
ninth day, and then caging the queen in one of his “ safety ” cages ; this, 
it will be noted, is an application of the law. When I published it two 
years ago I quoted our friend as one who had been working it in a way 
though with a cage. Now while his cage is safe there are others that 
are not so, as I have pointed out in the Journal for April 12th ; but the 
evil is this, everybody fancies a different cage, most of which allow eggs 
to drop through, and as they cannot see the difference they use them 
and so lose their queens. The law is to enable everyone to foretell the 
result, and so dispense with all cages, for to use a “ safety ” cage in a 
safe process is like fireproofing inflammable material, disinfecting disin¬ 
fectants, &c. 
Well, our friend kindly wrote back an explanation. Here is what 
he says :—“Your‘law’is not unlike a person cooking some savoury 
dish, putting things in their proper place and time, but at the same 
time I can see nothing new, further than the way you have put it, so 
that everyone can understand it. I believe your articles have thrown 
more light on this subject than all other writers have ever done.” Now, 
if this point or principle is what he is contending for—viz., that there 
is nothing new in it, or nothing novel, except the way it is put, there 
is then no “bone of contention” between us, for we really agree. I 
know others have had the same idea, have deprived the bees of their 
queen and all means of rearing a successor, and successfully enthroned 
a stranger ; but what have these people said about the most important 
element of time before offering them the alien ? Why, just this. 
“ Give the hees sufficient time to miss their queen,” as quoted by our 
friend and Mr. Raynor ; and as everyone has different ideas as to what 
is “ sufficient,” whether in time or money, therefore one may have given 
five or six days and succeeded ; another may have not given as many 
hours, and so invariably failed, and if these happened to be big “ guns” 
in the bee fraternity, then the idea would soon be scouted. 
If I have explained the idea so that all may understand it and apply 
it with confidence and certainty, then it is to all intents and purposes 
“new.” A thing or process maybe new by simply eliminating some 
error. As to whether it is new, at least in its effect, I will just quote 
from a paper by the Rev. George Raynor, read on the 31st of July, 1886, 
before the British Bee-keepers’ Association on “ Queen Introduction,” 
which was, some time after it had been published and discussed both in 
the Journal and the B. B. J., in which it was hotly opposed by Dr. 
Walker and Mr. C. N. Abbott, its late editor. 
Mr. Raynor’s paper is published in the BritUh Bee Journal for 
August 12th, 1886, and was freely copied into many other journals. 
From page 367 I make the following extract :—“ The only other method 
of direct introduction which demands notice is that which is said to have 
been originally discovered by Huber—viz., that ‘If a colony of bees 
have no queen and no means of rearing one they will invariably accept 
a fertile queen when presented to them.’ This rule requires, of course, 
an absence of brood and eggs, which seems to be the only stipulated con¬ 
dition. No matter how many or how few, how old or how young the bees 
may be, or at what season of the year the introduction is made, it is 
hound to succeed.” Then he says, “ If anyone wishes to make the 
experiment, and has no objection to losing his queens and demoralising 
his bees, let him deprive a colony of its queen and its combs, and place 
it upon empty combs and those containing honey only. Give the hees 
time to discover the loss of their queen, and offer them another at the 
entrance or the top of the hive, and she will be at once seized and 
encased, and either maimed and rendered useless or killed outright. 
This, and not a kindly reception, is what invariably takes place in my 
experience, and I have tried the method many a time in my earlier days 
—in those happy days gone by. Colonies which have been long queen¬ 
less are the least disposed of all others to receive a queen.” No one 
in the room questioned what he said, as all endorsed his statements, i 
The law had been much ventil.ated at that time, and as it is two 
years ago, and many will be inclined to try it this season, I think 1 
cannot do better than copy it out, so that a comparison can be m.adq 
with the part I have italicised—viz., “ Give the bees time to discover the 
loss of their queen,” which, as I have said, is no direction at all. In the 
law I have laid down forty-eight hours as the minimum, while if the- 
queen is presented within twenty-four or twenty hours the result will 
always be as Mr. Raynor says, as Huber found out 100 years ago ; 
while if an interval of forty-eight hours at least take place, and the- 
conditions are as required in the law, I will defy anyone to show me a 
failure. 
THE LAW REPEATED. 
“ If a hive of bees have no queen or means of rearing one (that is t 
have neither queen, eggs, unsealed brood, nor queen cells in their hive) 
they will invariably accept a fertile queen at the entrance or dropped in 
from the top, providing they have been deprived of such means of 
requeening themselves forty-eight hours. 
“ No matter how long they have queenless, or how old the bees may 
be, or what time of the year it is, nor even if fertile workers be present, 
unless they have begun to lay eggs no failure will ever result, so that 
there is no exception whatever to the law, nor must the queens ever be 
caged, the application of it can b ? varied scores of ways.” 
Surely there will be no difficulty in understanding and carrying oat 
the above. Before I published it bee-keepers all the world over were 
crying out for a simple and safe way of enthroning their queens. T 
have not given them simply a “ way to do it,” but a law, so that they 
can manufacture their own “ ways.” 
A CAUTION. 
Some are asking if it is impossible to lose their queens when intro¬ 
ducing them in accordance with the law, that I think I cannot do 
better than point out how queens may be lost, none of which prove the; 
law to be wrong or liable to any exception. In 1887 I had a virgin 
Syrian amongst some black bees. They were not strong—four Wooii- 
bury frames. She was the only yellow bee in the hive. After she had 
been in a month I looked to see if she was laying. She could not be 
found, nor any trace of her. I looked many times with equal success^ 
so I came to the conclusion they were queenless, and I dropped in a 
black queen. This was killed, which made me ’think at the time the 
law had exceptions. However, subsequently I found this identical 
Syrian in the hive laying. Since then I have seen many virgin queens 
take wing and fly away when opening the hive, and the novice might 
very easily think the hive was queenless when it had a queen ; thougli 
she might be out somewhere when he was looking for her. When in 
doubt lift a comb out with adhering bees, put the. queen amongst them, 
if she is balled then you may be sure they have a queen or means of 
rearing one. If the bees form a circle or ring round her, or move oh 
one side to let her pass, or more particularly commence to vibrate their 
wings, which is quickly taken up by all the bees on the comb, then you 
may safely depend on it they were queenless. 
Strong stocks, prepared in accordance with the law, during the time 
youni queens are on the wing from nuclei, should always be treateot 
thus to be sure, as such stocks will most certain requeen themselves 
naturally in accordance with the law, at the expense of some other 
hive less strong than themselves. I have seen such cases every season, 
and though I can tell at a glance whether they have done so or not, 
still everyone may not be able to tell that way. I had a very annoying 
experience last summer. A stock belonging to a friend lost its queen ;; 
the virgin to take her place also getting lost, put the stock hopelessly 
queenless. He told me the bees were running about the front of the 
hive as if they were mad. I at once said if such was the case they were- 
hopelessly queenless, and to oblige him I went to examine it. I found 
such to be the fact. It yas very strong, all brood hatched, and the 
remains of some dozens <of queen cells. Subsequently I gave him a 
Cyprian queen to drop in-ji this he found turned out dead. When he told 
me and showed me the dead queen, I at once said the stock had re¬ 
queened itself at the expense of one of the others. I went to help him 
find it. I first opened the hive in question, when I found a fine hybrid 
queen that had just begun laying. This gave us a hint to examine- 
the hybrid lots only. I pointed to a skep and asked, “ When diil 
that swarm ?” “ Three weeks last Sunday,” said he. “ Ah,” said I, 
“ the queen is from that.” I tossed them a queen, they received her,, 
all at once went into the hive, and in less than an hour were in full 
work providing for the brood the queen was laying eggs for. 
In the fall or eai'ly spring there is not that risk of stocks requeening 
themselves in a natural manner, but still there is the risk of the stock, 
supposed to be hopelessly queenless, being headed by a virgin queen, 
which may perchance be on the wing. Only this afternoon, April 28tlv 
I found two virgin queens in hives I supposed were headed with laying 
queens. Sealed brood were in both hives. I expected one queen 
being deposed early this season, as she was a very old one, but I know 
no reason for the other, as she was of last season’s rearing. I at once 
removed these queens, and the stocks will be ready in two days to 
receive queens expected from abroad. I found a strong stock of 
Carniolians queenless, no brood or eggs. 1 suppose the queen had 
run out of the hive with the bees, when they turned out for their first 
airing. They very often do this, and this queen must have done this 
very trick last year, as I found her one morning about 20 yards from 
her hive. Being satisfied they were in the condition of my law 
to receive a queen, I gave them a Cyprian from another stock—which 
will have the queen cells destroyed on the eighth or ninth day. 
