Queen Bee Cage

Queen Bee Cage, detail – MCHS Collections #2006.91.1 a&b

Queen Bee Cage, Cork detail – MCHS Collections #2006.91.1 a&b

Queen Bee Cage, size shown with ruler – MCHS Collections, #2006.91.1 a&b

A queen bee cage is used by beekeepers to introduce a new queen into a colony or to capture the queen bees when the bees have swarmed. The brown spots on the cage were caused by an accumulation of propolis, a resin-like substance bees collect from certain trees. This queen bee cage was made and used by Peter Kowalczyk, who was born in ­Lubniany, Poland in 1849. Peter, his wife Francis, and their 5 children came to the United States in 1882, settling first in Wright County. In 1886, the family moved to Swan River Township in Morrison County. – MCHS Collections, #2006.91.1 a&b