AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



523 



answered by 



Marengo. III. 



In this department will be answered those 

 questions needing immediate attention, and 

 such as are not of sufficient special Interest to 

 require replies from the ~0 or more apiarists 

 who help to make "Queries and Replies" so 

 interesting- on another page. In the main, it 

 win contain questions and answers upon mat- 

 ters that particularly interest beginners.— Ed. 



Keeping Brood-Combs with Honey. 



I have 100 brood-combs partly filled 

 with sealed honey and pollen. Can I 

 keep them till next spring and then let 

 the bees clean them out ? Or will freez- 

 ing make them unwholesome for bees? 

 They are selected combs, the drone and 

 crooked combs being used up. J. M. 



Answer. —Freezing will not hurt them 

 unless it be to candy the honey some- 

 what, and it will kill worms. Don't let 

 mice get to them. 



Sweet Clover on Pasture Lands. 



What is the best time to sow sweet 

 clover on pasture lands ? F. M. P. 



Freedom, Me. 



Answer. — If you mean on freshly 

 ploughed land, either spring or fall. If 

 you mean to sow on the sod, in the fall ; 

 but you're not likely to get a catch un- 

 less the sod is well trodden by stock. 



Very Late Swarming, Etc. 



1. I am a new bee-keeper with only 5 

 colonies. I had no swarms during the 

 summer ; only one colony stored any 

 surplus until fall, then two others stored 

 about 10 pounds each, and on Sept. 

 29th one colony cast a large swarm, and 

 in less than 10 hours it was freezing 

 cold. The next day, of course, they 

 could not fly, and I gave them three 

 empty frames and some sugar syrup. 

 They now have eggs. Will they be likely 

 to live through the winter if I give them 

 plenty of sugar syrup ? 



2. Will the old colony which has 



plenty of stores be O. K.? I might state 

 that there are still some drones in the 

 yard. 



8. Did you ever know of a colony 

 swarming so late in the season ? 



4. If I have not done the right thing 

 with these bees, what shall I do ? 



5. Can bees rear brood when the 

 nights are cool, or say when it freezes 

 slightly at night? J. R. S. 



State Line, Ind., Oct. 8. 



Answers. — 1. Although it might have 

 been better to have returned so late a 

 swarm, still with plenty of stores it 

 ought to go through all right. If you 

 have the combs to spare, better give it 

 two or three more. 



2. I think the chances are in its favor, 

 although there is a possibility of its be- 

 coming queenless. 



3. I don't remember how late I have 

 read about. I am sure I never had one 

 myself anywhere near so late. 



4. I don't know of anything to be 

 done specially different from other 

 cases, unless it be to supply combs and 

 stores. 



5. Yes. 



Stone or Lumber for Bee-Cellar. 



I am going to build a bee-cellar in a 

 side hill. I have more stone than lum- 

 ber. Would a stone wall, or rather, an 

 arch, made of stone, do to keep bees in, 

 or would it be too damp, as stone draws 

 moisture ? J. W. M. 



Answer. — Some who have used lum- 

 ber for such caves, have afterward used 

 stone, as being more durable. 



Slats in Section-Holders. 



I have a theory on which I would like 

 the opinion of an experienced bee-keep- 

 er. Some of my hives have slats for 

 sections, but I have had no experience 

 with them on account of the grasshop- 

 pers. Honey has been almost a failure 

 for the last three years in this locality. 

 I had thought that tin rests would give 

 better results than slats, on account of 

 being above the frames — nothing to hin- 

 der them coming up where they please. 

 My theory is to get advantage of this, 

 and also the cleanliness of the slat. 



I thought during cold weather I would 

 make what hives I need and put them 

 away for the swarming season. I would 

 make them J^-inch deeper, and then cut 

 the rabbet J^-inch lower, and put a nar- 

 row peice J^-inch thick across each end 

 to prevent sagging. I. will put one in 



