INTRODUCING BY THE HONEY METHOD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 7

INTRODUCING BY THE HONEY METHOD.

Time and again lias the beekeeping world tussled with tho problem of introducing queens safely; but for mo. tho knotty points have finally been cleared up. The plan has proved a 100 per cont. success in my apiary. It takes only five minutes, and does not require an expert. I have lost several fine queens by the cage method, and one of my strongest colonies by tho smoke method. I know that I am not an expert on smoke, and I expect never to try it again. I can introduce a queen by the cage method in from ZQ minutes to 15 days, telling by tho action of tho bees on tho cage when they will accept her. Ye'fc neither of these plans really suits me. Mr F. M. Baldwin, from Sanford, Fla., visited mo several times this season, and as wo were looking through my bees I showed him a fine queen that I had had in tho hive for eight days. At that time the cage was as large as your fist with boes, and tho longer 'the cage stayed in the hive tho moro tho bees balled it. " Well," MiBaldwin said, "just get me a cup of strained honey and I will put her in in three minutes." Now, I was willing to lose tho queen in order to learn something; but I was certain her doom was sealed. Mr Baldwin took tho queen out of the cage and put her in the cup of honey, smearing her around and around until she was completely covered, and looked as though dead. Then ho poured her down between the frames. This was oh Friday, and on Monday we looked for the queen, and found larvee in the cells, thus showing that the queen went to laying immediately. Look at the time saved by this method, and the time lost by the cage method and others. _ Since then I have tried this method with 45 queens, some being virgins, and yet the plan has never failed. Sometimes I have cut tho queen-cells out and put the queen right in. This morning I removed a virgin from a hive and introduced a queen by the Baldwin method, and ■in one hour she was laying. By other methods there are a great many queens lost, but I believe 'that this plan will prove at least 95 per cent, successful for all beekeepers, whether experienced or not. By the honey method the queen is in a stupid condition, and by the time the bees lick her off all excitement is over and everything quiet. When a queen is released from a cage she runs excitedly; while the bees pursue her; then she begins to pipe from fear, and immediately' they ball her.— Henry S. Bohon, in Gleanings. ._