GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



GLEANINGS FROM QUESTIONINGS 



F. A. C, Nevada. — What causes brood to 

 be wrong end up in cells'? 



A. We cannot explain to you why pupae 

 sometimes get in a cell wrong side up. We 

 can only surmise that nature has made a 

 mistake in some way. Of course the young 

 bee dies, because it cannot get out. 



F. P. H., Los Angeles, Cal. — In rearing 

 queens how many mated queens can one get 

 per month from each mating hive or nucleus? 

 What per cent of virgins are lost in mating? 



A. We get an average of two laying 

 queens per month from each nucleus. Eighty 

 per cent successful mating for the season is 

 a good average. 



W. E. K., Missouri. — Would it be all right 

 to put net weight of sections on top of 

 cartons instead of on the sections. 



A. Yes, it is entirely permissible; in fact, 

 it is the only thing to do when sections are 

 put in cartons. The actual net "weight of the 

 honey inside of the section must go some- 

 where on the outside of the i^ackage. Where 

 the sections are not put in cartons, then of 

 course the net weight must show on the 

 section itself. 



J. A. C, Wisconsin. — My queens stopped 

 laying in August. What^was the trouble? 



A. A queen when one or two years old will 

 often and generally let up on egg-laying thru 

 August and into September, and will not 

 begin again to any extent until the fall flow, 

 or when colonies are given stimulative 

 feeding. On the other hand, queens three 

 weeks or three months old will lay right thru 

 the season, and their colonies must be sup- 

 plied with stores to take care of the brood to 

 prevent winter starvation. 



E. J. E., Transfer, Pa. — Should supers be 

 left on the hive during the winter in order 

 to provide winter stores? 



A. Ordinarily a super should not be left 

 on the hive during the winter. There are 

 some exceptions to this rule, as for instance 

 in the case of exceptionally strong colonies, 

 or colonies that are short of stores when it 

 is too late to feed. In such case a super 

 may be left on containing honey. The better 

 plan, however, is to make sure that there is 

 plenty of honey in the brood-combs so that 

 the super would not be needed unless for 

 holding packing material. 



M. C. W., Bethel, Ct.— How can I disinfect 

 a honey-extractor which has been used to 

 extract honey from combs that contained 

 foul brood? 



A. If you have access to steam it would 

 be a good plan to fill your extractor can with 

 water and then introduce steam until the 

 water boils. Let it boil for a few minutes 

 and then it will be perfectly safe to use. 

 If you have no steam you will have to rely 



on using a large quantity of boiling water, 

 heating several wash-boilers of water at a 

 time, so that the can will be filled with 

 scalding water. 



F. A. C, Golconda, Nev. — I wish to winter 

 my bees on candy. What is the best recipe 

 for making it? 



A. We do not advise feeding candy except 

 when the discovery that the bees are short 

 of stores is made too late for feeding sugar 

 syrup. We regard candy as a substitute to 

 be relied upon in case syrup feeding is im- 

 possible, as in cold weather, for instance. If 

 there is a chance to feed syrup, do so by all 

 means, rather than to rely upon candy. 



It is not too late to feed syrup. We rec- 

 ommend a syrup made by mixing two parts 

 of sugar to one of water and feed until each 

 colony has at least twenty-five pounds of 

 sealed stores — stronger colonies thirty to 

 thirty-five. The candy is an unnatural win- 

 ter food, but it can be relied upon in emer- 

 gencies. 



C. G. M., Ohio. — I am a beginner with five 

 colonies. Will you tell me how to winter 

 them? 



A. Assuming that the bees are in single- 

 walled hives your first undertaking will be 

 to make sure that each colony has enough 

 stores. An average-sized colony in a ten- 

 frame hive ought to have not less than 

 twenty-five pounds of sealed stores, and thir- 

 ty is safer. If there is not enough in the 

 combs to m.ake up about this weight, feed 

 thick sugar syrup not later than October 20, 

 made by mixing two parts of sugar and one 

 of water. 



The next important requisite is a sheltered 

 location. A spot sheltered by buildings, 

 trees, or artificial windbreaks should always 

 be selected. Such a place is better in sum- 

 mer as well as in winter. 



In your locality additional protection is 

 necessary if you winter out of doors. Con- 

 tract the entrances down to a space of y^ by 

 3 to 5 inches, and be sure that each hive is 

 well protected. If you like you can place 

 empty boxes over each hive and fill in all 

 around with leaves or shavings, or other 

 good packing material, covering up every- 

 thing on top with a cover that will not leak. 

 Of course the entrance must be left open all 

 the time. If you prefer you can pack the 

 five hives in a row, or place three in one 

 group and two in another. 



If you have a cellar where the temperature 

 does not vary much below 40 nor above 50, 

 where the ventilation is good, you could 

 winter in the cellar without any packing. 

 Less stores would be consumed also, altho 

 you would have the labor of carrying them 

 in and setting them out again. Ideal bee- 

 cellars are rather hard to find. Too much 

 dampness or cold air makes trouble every 

 time. 



