776 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



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 'JO or more apiarists 

 who help to make " Queries and Replies " so 

 Interesting on another page. In the main.it 

 will contain questions and answers upon mat- 

 ters that particularly Interest beglnners.—ED. 



Red Clover Honey Foaming:. 



I have six gallons of second-growth 

 red clover honey, and every time I get 

 any out it all foams up like sea-foam. It 

 is not sour. What is the matter with 

 it ? J. V. 



Answer. — There Is more or less pol- 

 len in the honey, I suppose, and that 

 ferments, although the honey keeps it 

 sweet, so you don't recognize much sour 

 taste in it. 



Setting Out Basswood Sprouts. 



Will it do to set out basswood sprouts 

 sprouts. 



this fall ? I have 200 



Lebanon, Ind., Dec. 1. 



E. 



Answer. — Yes, you can set out bass- 

 wood sprouts any time when they have 

 no leaves on. Perhaps spring is the best 

 time, but not always the most conven- 

 ient. If you set out now, mulch with 

 coarse manure or something of the kind 

 to prevent frequent freezing and tliaw- 

 Ing of the roots. 



Mice Disturbing the Bees. 



Mice are infesting my apiary badly. 

 They go Into the hives, gnaw pieces out 

 of the frames, and at last are beginning 

 to make nests in the corners of some of 

 the hives. What Is the surest and best 

 method of ridding the apiary of them, 

 molesting the beos as little as possible ? 

 I have traps on small platforms at the 

 entrances of some of the hives, but that 



does not appear to do away with them 

 fast enough. Will poison work without 

 injury to the bees? If so, what kind, 

 and in what manner should It be used ? 

 Harrlsonville, 111., Dec. 3. W. R. T. 



Answer. — You do not say so, but I 

 suppose your bees are out-doors. That 

 makes it a little harder to take out the 

 mice than if the bees are in the cellar. 

 You can put poison under the stands 

 where domestic animals and poultry 

 cannot reach it. One way is to mix ar- 

 senic and sugar, and put in different 

 places as much as will lay on a dime. 

 Perhaps better still, cut a thin slice of 

 cheese. 3€ inch thick, spread strychnine 

 lightly over It, and cut In half-inch 

 squares. 



But I like still better the plan of fast- 

 ening them out of the hive. I use wire- 

 cloth with three meshes to the Inch. 

 That effectually prevents the passage of 

 mice, but allows free passage for the 

 bees. There is little danger of mice get- 

 ting into a hive while bees are flying, 

 but when it gets so cold that bees do not 

 stir from the cluster, then the mice take 

 possession and are not disturbed by the 

 bees till It becomes warm again. So I 

 get the wire-cloth on before it gets very 

 cold. 



In your case I suppose the mice have 

 already taken possession, but in spite of 

 that I would close up with wire-cloth. 

 It will at least prevent more going in, 

 and when the first warm day comes the 

 bees will kill the enclosed mice. 



Bees Leaving in Cold Weather. 



My bees are on the summer stands. 

 Why do apparently healthy bees fly out 

 and sail away when the temperature is 

 freezing and below ? II. 



McLean, Ohio, Dec. 5. 



Answer. — I don't know. Bees die of 

 old age throughout the winter, and it 

 may be such fly off when they have a 

 chance. Possibly the bees that fly off 

 may be diseased in some way. Bees 

 about to die, instinctively leave the hive. 



m^" Sec A K V offer on page 771. 



