Bee-keeping in Victoria by Beuhne F. R

Author:Beuhne, F. R
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bees
Publisher: Melbourne, F. Mullett, Govt. printer
Published: 1915-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

Fig. 1.—Mailing Cage.

be introduced, it is best, before attempting it, to remove all combs containing brood, except one which is left till evening to prevent the bees leaving and joining neighbouring hives. At dusk, shake the bees off this comb, give it to some other colony to take care of, and hang the caged queen between the broodless combs. When the brood is remove'd the bees should be shaken off and the combs put on other colonies till after the new queen is safely laying, when they may be returned again without bees. . .

Success in introducing queens is assured largely by a mmunum ot interference and fussing. Most of the failures are due to two causes; either the colony has been kept open too long when hunting tor the old queen or it has been opened and examined too soon and at the wrong time after introducing the new queen. Over-anxiety ot the bee-keeper for her safety often proves fatal to the queen. Under unfavorable conditions bees will sometimes ball their own queens

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wlicn the hive is opened, therefore a hive which has just had a new queen given to it should not be interfered with for at least four or tive days, unless an unusual commotion at the entrance indicates that the queen is balleil. If desirous of ascertaining whether the queen has been accepted, do so on the fourth or fifth day after the bees have ceased tlying for the day.

If a queen is found balled, drop the ball of bees into a saucer full of water, when the bees will release the queen. If smoke is used to scatter tiie ball the smoker should not be held too close, as hot smoke may cause the bees to sting the balled queen. The queen should be re-caged in the hive, allowing the bees to again liberate her by eating cut tlie candy.

Candy for Queen Cages. The candy, the food supplied to queens and their escort of workers in the cages forwarded through the post, consists of a mixture of sugar and honey, in such relative proportions that it is much of the consistency of iJutty—it must be neither too stiff nor too soft. This candy is also used fcr introducing queens, by means of the Miller Introducing, or any other similar cage, and as food for bees in confinement. The direc-

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