11. How to Find Queens and How to Clip Their Wings

It is usually best to clip queens' wings at the time of fruit bloom when fewer bees are in the hives and queens are more readily found. They may be clipped any time.

One can tell the ages of queens if their wings are clipped. Some queens are superseded during the summer. Supersedure queens are readily recognized if all queens are kept clipped.

To find queens, one should have an extra hive-body at hand and, with his back to the sun, take out the combs one by one. After taking out the first comb, look to see if the queen is on the next comb in the hive. If she is not seen, carefully look over the comb in the hands, and then place it in the extra hive-body. Continue this practice till the queen is found. If one goes slowly, the queen may leave the combs and be found on the inside of the hive. If not found when taking out the combs, she will usually be found when returning them to the hive. One can set a hive-body on a bottom-board and on the hive-body a queen-excluder and on the queen-excluder another hive-body. Shake the bees from a frame into the top hive-body and then place the frame in the lower hive-body. Continue thus till the queen is found trying to get through the excluder. With a hive of crooked combs, set a queen-excluder on the hive and a hive-body on the excluder. Put on the cover. Smoke the bees at the entrance. The queen will often be found on the under side of the queen-excluder trying to go above.

To clip queens, find the comb having the queen and carry it away from the apiary in the shade of a tree or the bee shed. Bees are more gentle away from the hive in the shade. With the right hand, pick the queen by the wings from the comb. She never stings a person. Lean the frame against some building or tree or your leg and hold the first finger of your left hand near the queen. When she takes hold of the finger with her legs, gently place the thumb on two or more legs. Then pick up the shears with the right hand and clip the two gauzy wings on one side. Drop the queen on the comb and carry the comb back and place it in the hive, keeping the eyes on the queen to see that she does not fall off the comb.

I have clipped hundreds of queens and have been stung only once by a worker bee when clipping a queen. Sometimes when clipped a queen will act as if paralyzed. If so, do not place her in the hive till she revives, because the bees will kill her and make preparations to swarm. Only occasionally do queens get in this condition. If all queens are kept clipped and a swarm should come out, the queen will fall in front of the hive. The worker-bees will go off and settle and when they find the queen is not with them will return to the hive.

I had a friend at Knightstown, Indiana, who kept his queens clipped. One day one of his neighbors came running over very much excited. He said, "There is a swarm of bees on the tree in my back yard. Are you coming after them? "

Mr. Kennard said, "No! When I want those bees, I will whistle to them and they will all return. " So he engaged his neighbor in conversation, and kept his eye on the hive from which the bees had emerged. Presently he saw some of the bees returning and he began to whistle and the swarm returned to the hive. His neighbor went down town and said, "Kennard is the greatest beeman I ever saw. A swarm got on my tree and he whistled to them and the swarm came back. "

12. Introducing Queens to Colonies and Nuclei

Bees more readily accept queens when nectar is being gathered or when they are fed. A nucleus will accept a queen more readily than a full colony. Queens should be introduced immediately after killing poor or failing queens. If the colony is queenless, carefully examine each comb and destroy any queen cells before placing the queen in the hive.

Queens are sold in cages to be used in introducing them. Tear off the paper at the end of the queen cage and place it, with the screen wire down, on the top of the frames. The inner cover can be placed, upside down, on the hive temporarily so that there is room between the frames and cover for the introducing cage. The cage may be placed between the combs with the candy end down. The hive must be well-shaded or the queen and worker-bees in the cage may suffocate. In very hot weather it may be better to place the cage, with the screen wire up, on the bottom board inside the hive. The hive should not be opened for four or five days or the bees may "ball" the queen-cover her with a cluster of bees the size of a walnut-and sting her to death. Some beemen requeen their colonies every year about August first and some every other year. Queens lay more prolifically when young. An old queen may die during the winter and the colony become queenless. A young queen will lay eggs in the fall when no nectar is being gathered whereas an old queen will restrict her laying and the colony may dwindle away in the spring for lack of late-hatched bees. Do not keep a queen longer than two summers. Queen-cages which allow the worker-bees to enter the cage before the queen can get out are more successful for introducing queens than those in which queens are usually shipped. A queen may be introduced to a nucleus and later the nucleus united with a colony when the queen in the colony is killed. Some beekeepers kill the queen in a colony and eight days later destroy all queen-cells made and then introduce a queen. Some leave the paper over the hole at the end of the queen cage and four days later examine the combs and destroy any queen cells found and then tear off the paper from the queen cage. This is best when introducing queens to strong colonies.