The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-04-19
FARM NOTES
Introducing Queens in a Colony.
he American Cultlyator:

Eiitor of the American Cultivator:
With the near approach of spriue
bee keeping takes OH a new aspect,
and the apiarist thinks strongly of in.
creasiug his flocks so that his business
may be extended. There are many
points for consideration tNat must
vitality affect the success or failure of
the enterprise, and none more so than
that of introducing queens among tie
bees. Everything depends upon the
condition and action of the queen, snd
the reception accorded to her when
she is introduced. A good queen will
largely determine the products of the
colony's work.
1t is quite essential then, that such
a queen should be secured, no matter
how costly at first. But the greater
the distance the queen has come from,
the more difficult it will be TO intro
duce her in the hive Her condition
then is very critical; she has not laid
eggs for some tim, and she is tired and
faded with her journey. 1t is much
easier work to introduce queen from
one of the home colonies than to take
a stranger that has come from long
distance; Nevertheless, tAe difficulty
of the latter should not induce one to
accept an Inferior home queen in pref
erence to finer specimen that has
been purchased at distance. The
stock must be improved in every way
possible.
If the queen is in good condition,
and satisfied with her surroundings,
she will walk quietly and composedly
about the hive and begin her egg lay
ing. The bees are almost sure 10 ac-
: cept her then, but if she hops and
runs about, making noise, the in
mates of the hive will surround her
and all roll up together in ball. The
/ queen must be released Immediately
from their embrace. Smoking the
bees is then necessary, or drop them
into cold water. Give the queen an
Their trial after she has calm down a
little. In getting queen from a dis
tance or strange hive it will often be
necessary to make several such trials
before the queen will be accepted.
The chief thing is to put the queen
in the most natural position The
bees expect to find their queen in the
hive and among the combs. If she is
dropped down suddenly from the top
or pushed in through the entrance the
inmates of the hive pounce upon her
as an intruder. Sometimes it is better
to drop her upon the top bars, and as
the bees surround her be ready to in
iect a puff of smoke. This. will make
them release her. and then when she
has recovered she will walk around
inside so that the bees will think that
she belongs there If the queer is
taken from one of the neignboring
hives she can sometimes DE placed just
where the old queen was stationed
without causing any excitement at all
in the hive.
The great thing is to allay all sus
picion on the part of the bees, but if
excitement does prevail then one must
be ready to quell it by force. II the
bees are allowed to continue 10 their
pursuit of the queen bee they will soon
destroy valuable queen aud get the
whole hive in state OF unrest and ex-
element In introducing a new lay
ing queen in a hive with queen al
ready, one must run the chances of the
new one overcoming the old queen.
The bees will not interfere in the con-
hict, but will accept the victor as their
queen. This, however, sometimes re-
suits in the death of one and injury to
the successful one.
ANNE @. WHEELER.