AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



555 



answered by 

 Marengo. III. 



In this department will be answered those 

 questions needing immediate attention, and 

 euch as are not of sufficient special interest to 

 require replies from the 'ZO or more apiarists 

 who help to malie "'Queries and Replies" so 

 interesting' on another page. In the main, it 

 will contain questions and answers upon mat- 

 ters that particularly interest beginners.— Ed. 



Old Foundation and Starters. 



I have a quantity of foundation like the 

 enclosed sample, which was made last sea- 

 son and kept over in a dark, cool place ; 

 also a quantity of sections with starters in, 

 which the bees did not work on. Would 

 you advise melting it up and taking the 

 foundation out of the sections, or would 

 the bees accept and work it out as it is ? 



Delhi, N. Y. A. G. A. 



Answer. — The sample of foundation is 

 very nice, and I'm sure I couldn't tell it 

 from fresh made. I shouldn't think of tak- 

 ing the starters out of the sections, but 

 would use them just as they are. I use 

 them every year, and this year I shall use 

 some that have been in the sections more 

 than one year. 



Average Weight of Bees and Brood. 



What should be the average weight of 

 bees and brood, minus frames and combs, 

 in No. 1 colonies about May 1st, considering 

 early spring, etc. — in central New York ? 

 Empire State. 



Answer. — I can only give a rough guess. 

 Possibly 4 to 6 pounds ; but if any one can 

 tell with anything like certainty, I shall be 

 glad to own up I don't know. 



"Why So Many Queens Lost? 



On November 1st, 1893, I had 112 colonies 

 of bees ; Nov. 6th I noticed the bees were 

 robbing one colony which was quite heavy 

 with honey — the colony had evidently be- 

 come queenless, and what bees were in the 

 hive had no courage to fight and protect 

 their stores; and since I put them out, I 

 have found six more in the same condition, 

 making seven in all. 



Is it unusual for a number of queens to 

 die during late fall and winter ? If so, 

 what was the cause ? Five out of the seven 



were colonies that sent out swarms in June, 

 and of course had young queens. They 

 were put into the cellar about Dec. 1st, and 

 put out from March 9th to the 14th. The 

 shrinkage in weight was from three to 15>^ 

 pounds. 



The winter following the summer when 

 my bees stored so much of that black stuff 

 called " honey-dew," my losses were heavy, 

 but generally my losses have been almost 

 entirely from their becoming queenless, and 

 sometimes I think I have more than my 

 share from that cause. What do you think 

 about it ? O. B. B. 



Marshalltown, Iowa, March 31. 



Answer.— I think 7 out of 113 is rather 

 unusual. That's easier to say than to tell 

 the cause. If you were not an experienced 

 bee-keeper, I should ask whether some of 

 the queens may not have been lost on their 

 wedding flights. This kind of loss seems to 

 be much worse in some places than others. 

 If you are sure the five young queens aU 

 became good layers, I should say their loss 

 was quite exceptional, and cannot give a 

 healthy guess why it should occur. 



Wheat Flour for Bees. 



I have seen rye flour given to bees in 

 spring. Will wheat flour injure them ? I 

 have given it to them two days, and they 

 use a quantity of it. A. J. F. 



Winthrop, Iowa. 



Answer. — No, wheat flour will not hurt 

 them. However, it may not be best to give 

 them so much that they will not use it up, 

 for it will clog the combs up unnecessarily. 



Sunshine on the Hives. 



What time in the forenoon should the 

 sun shine on the hives, and what time in 

 the afternoon ? A. R. J. 



Cambridge, 111. 



Answer. — In spring I suppose it is a good 

 thing to have the sun shine on the hives all 

 day long. In very hot weather they might 

 better be in the shade all day long, or per- 

 haps from 10 till 2. I like the shade of a 

 tree, because it allows the sun to shine 

 through before the leaves are fully out. I 

 am not sure but I care more for shade on 

 my account than for the sake of the bees. 

 I don't believe the bees hate to be in the 

 hot sun as much as I do. 



Mixed Bees — Queen-Cells. 



1. I have a colony of hybrids that show 

 two bands, and this colony cast one after- 

 swarm, and the queen produces some bees 

 that show two, some one band, and some 

 white, ashy-looking bees, different from 

 any bees I ever saw. They are larger than 

 any of my bees, and the young queen left 

 in the old hive produces from the 3-banded 

 Italian to the blackest of bees. What sort 

 of drones did they meet ? 



