I use a hair roller, with one end bunged permanently with a bit of twig
and the other only by a couple of layers of newspaper.  I have a few
ready-made newspaper caps which fit neatly over the end of the roller, which
I much prefer to trying to fit a rubber band without snagging one of HM's
feet sticking through a hole.  The whole ensemble is held in place in the
hive by a few inches of thin baling wire threaded through the permanently
blocked end.

    There is thus no width restriction at all at the exit once all the paper
has been chewed away.  I've never worried about the angle of dangle of the
cage, and it has always worked perfectly.

        J. J. Harrier

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I think, therefore I bee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>  Perhaps a worker tried to ball the queen in the passage and she has =
> become leary of passing through the hole because of the experience?
>
>  I have tried for the sake of experimentation to push the reluctant =
> queen through the hole in the cage but to no avail. I always have to =
> remove the screen to release her.
> By taking a straw and trying to herd her through the hole she seems to =
> avoid the hole at all costs. I admit I have pondered the same scenario =
> as Allen.