Crispy, Queen wooden queen cages have a small hole at either end and the queen cages are prepared, prior to catching the queens, with candy at one end and generally a cork, ( this is the cork you remove when introducing the queen). The wire mesh is then stapled onto the wooden cage.
The queen is then caught by hand and placed into the open hole at the opposite end to the candy, several workers are then caught and placed in the cage exactly the same way and then the hole is then plugged with a cork. ( You do not remove this cork unless you intend to release the queen straight away. The normal method of introduction is to remove the cork from the candy end and place the cage in the hive. A full plug of candy will ensure a slow release (approximately 48 hrs), this slow release allows the workers to get used to the new queens odour and queen pheromone. Kev