GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



GLEANINGS FROM QUESTIONINGS 



J. A. C, Ohio. — Is there any advantage in 

 using acids in making sugar syrup for win- 

 ter? 



A. Yes and no. Some regard it as neces- 

 sary, but we have fed up our bees without 

 the"^ use of acids in the syrups, for many 

 years. The purpose of the acid is to invert 

 the syrup, making it more like natural stores. 

 If we could, by some artificial means, add 

 protein or pollen, it would be better. 



W. A. C, Ohio. — Why is bee-glue so abun- 

 dant and sticky in the fall? 



A. When bees have nothing to do they 

 will gather gums and resins. It is their 

 nature to chink up cracks and crevices in 

 their hives to make them warm; therefore in 

 the fall they will gather propolis and deposit 

 it thruout the hive. New bee-glue is more 

 sticky than old, and hence one notices it 

 more in the fall than at other times of the 

 year, simply because of its sticky nature. 

 As the weather turns cold it hardens so that 

 the frames are glued together. At such 

 times it is necessary to use considerable 

 smoke in separating the frames. 



E. S. L., Jenkins, Ky. — What is honey- 

 dew? 



A. Honey-dew is a secretion from plant 

 aphids. It is a sticky, sweet-tasting liquid 

 that adheres to the leaves of the various 

 kinds of trees on which the plant-lice work. 

 It is something of a calamity when the bees 

 gather very much of it, for, strictly speak- 

 ing, it is not honey and cannot be sold as 

 such. The flavor is often quite bitter, and 

 the color cloudy and dark instead of clear. 

 Some years much more of it is gathered than 

 others. The year 1908 in many localities 

 was noted for the large amount of honey- 

 dew stored in the combs. 



V. I. S., New York. — When is the best 

 time to unite for winter? 



A. The best way is to put the brood to- 

 gether in August and September; but if the 

 matter has been delayed, the bees of two 

 different out-apiaries may be united without 

 any returning. Two weak colonies in the 

 same yard side by side can be united by 

 taking away one hive and placing the other 

 between where the other two stood. 



Ordinarily it is not practicable for begin- 

 ners to unite bees of the same yard, on ac- 

 count of bees returning to the old stand; but 

 it can be done. Wait till cold weather comes 

 on after the first two or three frosts, and 

 when all the flora is killed; then early in the 

 morning place two clusters together. If the 

 weather continues cool or cold for several 

 days, not many bees will return to the old 

 stand. 



A. C. W., New York. — How old should a 

 queen be to get the best results in wintering? 



A. The younger the better. The one and 

 two year old queens are apt to diminish egg- 

 laying, sometimes stopping altogether dur- 

 ing the latter part of August and fore part 

 of September. The result is, their bees go 

 into winter quarters too old to give the best 

 results. It is desirable to have brood-rear- - 

 ing in August and September so that the ■ 

 hives will be filled with young bees in Octo- ■ 

 ber and November. To that end young 

 queens should be used, as they will lay right 

 on. After breeding up in this way the colo- 

 nies will need to be fed thru September and 

 October with a syrup consisting of two parts 

 of sugar to one of water. As the weather 

 becomes cooler, the syrnp should be made 

 thicker — 2% parts of sugar to one of water. 



A. B. C, Pennsylvania. — I have heard it 

 said that windbreaks are very important for 

 outdoor wintering. My bees are located on 

 top of a hill where the wind strikes them 

 from, all directions. Will large quadruple 

 winter cases with four inches of packing 

 afford sufficient protection? 



A. You had better by all means move the 

 yard into a protected location ly^ miles from 

 its present quarters. When cold weather 

 comes on you can move the bees a distance 

 of a hundred yards or so. We not only ad- 

 vise plenty of packing, but windbreaks in 

 the form of trees, shrubbery, outbuildings, 

 or natural barriers like a hill. 



Placing an apiary at the foot of a hill i 

 without shrubbery does not always give sat- i 

 isfactory results. The wind will sometimes 

 pass over the top of the hill, dive downward, 

 and hit the hives with almost the same force 

 as if they were on top of the hill. 



X. Y. Z., New Jersey. — One of my colonies 

 that was as gentle as kittens during the 

 summer now seems to be very cross. What 

 is the reason? The last time I handled them 

 they stung my hands and clothing, and actu- 

 allj' drove me out of the apiary. 



A. If you handle the bees early in the 

 morning, when the propolis is hard, and the 

 frames come apart with a snap, you will be 

 badly stung unless you use plenty of smoke, 

 no matter what the strain of bees. Wait till 

 the middle hours of the day, and use just 

 enough smoke to keep the bees down. If 

 you separate the frames when the propolis is 

 soft you will have no trouble. Generally bees 

 are crosser in the fall than at other times. 

 A colony that has been gentle an entire sea- 

 son, even during summer, will sometimes be 

 very ugly when the hive is opened. When 

 there has been a heavy honey-flow, and it 

 suddenly stops, all the bees in the yard will 

 be more or less cross. It is advisable to 

 avoid handling them more than is necessary ' 

 before they get over their ill humor or dis-' 

 appointment, because the sudden flow of 

 wealth (honey) has been suddenly cut off. 



