March, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



173 



is iTiuch too thin for winter stores. However, 

 your bees may survive the winter in spite 

 of this fact. It will be a good plan to oc- 

 casionally poke out the dead bees that ac- 

 cumulate at the entrance. Tn doing this, 

 pains should be taken not to jar or disturb 

 the bees. 



Question. — If sown on abandoned fertilized wheat 

 ground in April , would white sweet clover seed 

 produce a hay crop the first season? 



Ohio. Chas. H. Cargo. 



Answer. — White sweet clover may be de- 

 pended upon to give a good hay crop the 

 first year. Sometimes it is even tall enough 

 to be cut in July, but since the crown sprouts 

 have not started at that time, it should not 

 be mowed close to the ground, as most of it 

 would be killed outright. 



Questions. — Will it do any harm to keep my bees 

 in the cellar after those outdoors have had a flight? 

 (2) Would the more or less noise from the family 

 overhead interfere with their wintering in good con- 

 dition? 



Ontario. J. N. Smith. 



Answers. — (1) Even if those cellar-winter- 

 ed colonies are cheated of one or two flights, 

 it should cause no worry as long as they are 

 wintering contentedly. At the opening of 

 the first spring bloom the bees should be 

 moved out providing the days are wanu 

 enough to permit several hours flighl each 

 day. (2) In Medina, we have successfully win- 

 tered bees under a machine shop where there 

 was constant noise and vibration. 



Questions. — Would it be advisable to make up the 

 sections now and put in starters? What width 

 would you put in, full sheets or one inch ? 



Ohio. ■ Robert Herrick. 



Answer. — We prefer making the sections 

 and putting in foundation a few weeks be- 

 fore they will be needed. The foundation 

 usually is in better condition, and the sec- 

 tions not as apt to break. Still, many good 

 beekeepers put up their sections several 

 months before using and consider it makes 

 but little difference. By all means use the 

 full sheets, and we venture to say that you 

 will never again be satisfied with mere 

 strips. 



Questions. — (1) I have nine colonies of cross bees 

 which I wisli to put into new hives. If I re-queen 

 with Italian stock at the time of transferring, will 

 I get pure Italian bees? (2) Would it be all right 

 to make the change about the middle of April and 

 then feed them sugar syrup until fruit bloom? (3) 

 Also would it be safe to extract the honey from the 

 old frames, and, after boiling, feed it back to them? 

 (4') Did you ever try introducing a new queen by 

 putting her in a cup of honey and pouring her down 

 between the frames, and what) kind of success did 

 you have, if you did try it? 



Pennsylvania. Buel Buddinger. 



Answers. — (1) Yes, if you introduce a test- 

 ed Italian. (2) Giving a colony foundation 

 early in the spring is a pretty cold arrange- 

 ment. It would be better to wait until fruit 

 bloom, especially if the spring happens to 

 be a cool one. If put on foundation before 

 any honey is coming in, they will, of course, 



need to be fed. (3) Honey may be diluted, 

 boiled 30 minutes in a closed vessel and 

 then fed to the bees. But it is safer to re- 

 boil it just before feeding. (4) Yes, we have 

 introduced queens successfully by daubing 

 with honey. There is no particular objection 

 to the plan if one cares to give a nice queen 

 such a treatment. We don 't like this meth- 

 od of introducing, perhaps for no other rea- 

 son than that it makes the queen both look 



Question. — My hives of bees were all upset dur- 

 ing cold weather and I am afraid I shall lose most 

 of them. In that case I shall have to fall back on 

 pound packages next spring. What must I do, if I 

 want a honey crop in 1818? 



Maryland. Philip Barret. 



Answer.- — If you are desirous of a good 

 honey crop the coming season, our advice is 

 to order queens, bees and supplies as soon as 

 possible. Realizing the necessary delays that 

 will occur the coming season, many are even 

 now filing their orders, and we believe it is 

 none to soon for those who intend securing 

 that bumper crop we hope for. The best 

 plan is to buy colonies from your 

 own locality. If this is impossible, it might 

 be well for you to buy two- or three-pound 

 package with queens. These you can build up 

 by stimulative feeding and by giving frames 

 of brood from other colonies. 



Questions. — (1) When should the packing be 

 taken off in the spring?" (2) How late can the 

 bees be safely moved a short distance in the spring? 



Illinois. 0. E. Killgrove. 



Answers. — (1) The packing should be kept 

 on until settled warm weather, so there will 

 be no danger of chilling the brood; the exact 

 time will depend upon the season. Of course, 

 it should not be kept on so long as to be in 

 the way. Sometimes it may be necessary 

 to keep it on till the last part of May. (2) 

 If one wishes to move bees a short distance 

 in the early spring, he should do so carefully 

 and without jarring. In order that the bees 

 may not return to the old location and be 

 lost, one should make the removal during 

 settled cold weather so that two or three 

 months will elapse before the bees- have a 

 chance -to fly. 



Question. — My small colony of bees has already 

 succumbed, leaving in the hive a small handful of 

 dead bees and about one pound of sealed honey. As 

 they were well protcted, I cannot understand the 

 cause of their death. 



North Carolina. C. G. Rogers. 



Answer. — This is such an unusually hard 

 winter that we are continually receiving just 

 such reports as yours. Besides the good 

 packing one should also consider the size of 

 the colony, the nature and location of wind- 

 breaks, and the quality as well as quantity 

 of winter stores. Many bees will perish this 

 winter from dysentery, caused by unripened 

 stores, the small size of the '•olony, or in- 

 sufficient protection. Others will starve witli 

 plenty of good stores in the hives, simply 

 because the bees are too cold to move over a 

 few inches to the stores. In the case of your 



