278 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1917 



honey should replace the empty combs; but 

 they should be put oii the outsid;^ — not in the 

 center. If one does not have a cupply of ex- 

 tra combs of honey he may feed thick sugar 

 syrup, or give a block of hard candy. Cubes 

 of loaf sugar placed in a shallow tray mois- 

 tened with water answer very well as a 

 temporary substitute. There is nothing bet- 

 ter than combs of sealed stores containing 

 if possible some pollen; and the apiarist 

 should always have a reserve of them to use 

 in the spring. 



H. A. R., Tennessee. — My combs are heavily load- 

 ed with pollen. How can I remove it ? 



A. Do not remove it. They are the best 

 stock in trade you can have. Next to sealed 

 stores there is no more valuable asset for bees 

 in early spring than combs of pollen. Some- 

 times we would give more for a few combs 

 of pollen than we would for sealed stores. 

 Pollen-combs may be worth in the early 

 spring one or two dollars each. 



D. A. B., Vermont. — Should I commence spread- 

 ing brood in the brood-nest by May 1 ? 



A. We advise against it. Usually the 

 queen will enlarge the circle of egg-laying as 

 fast as the bees can take care of it. An 

 empty comb placed in the center of the 

 brood-nest, unless it is during a period of 

 settled warm weather, does more harm than 

 good. If the queen fails to lay properly, 

 pinch her head and put a good one in her 

 place; or unite the colony with some weak 

 one that has a good queen. 



R. C. A., Minnesota. — A large number of my colo-. 

 nies are weak. Should I unite these, or should I 

 secure pound packages from the South to build them 

 up? 



A. We advise getting the bees from the 

 South. Be sure you buy of a good breeder — 

 one who will guarantee that the sugar out of 

 which the candy is made has been boiled 20 

 minutes in a closed vessel. 



Avoid buying bees of those who quote the 

 lowest price. We have had numerous com- 

 plaints against those who sold at low prices, 

 and who contended that they could not afford 

 to replace loss in shipments on account of the 

 low price at which they sold the bees. No 

 matter what the price is, there should be an 

 understanding that all losses will be replaced 

 promptly by the shipper by sending n)ore 

 bees or returning the value in cash. As a 

 general rule those who have advertised for 

 some years may be depended on to render 

 service and quality. 



H. S. T., Minnesota. — Can bees be moved during 

 winter ? 



A. Yes, very easily. If there is snow on 

 the ground ancl sleighing is good there is no 

 better time for moving bees. A little snow 

 thrown over the entrances to close them 

 will prevent the escape of the bees, when 

 the hives can be loaded on to the sled. 

 There is no danger of suffocation, because 

 the snow will melt long before any trouble 

 of that kind can occur. We have moved 



bees from outyards in mid-winter, and put 

 them in the cellar and had the colonics come 

 out in the spring in fine condition. 



C. H. G., Wisconsin. — In building up my colonies, 

 those that are below par, I am at a loss to know 

 whether I should unite two weak ones or a weak one 

 with a strong one. 



A. A good deal will depend on conditions. 

 Where two weak ones are side by side, the 

 stronger one can be moved to a position 

 about midway between where the other stood 

 and its neighbor united with it. All flying 

 bees will then unite at one stand. 



In the case of where two of the colonies to 

 be united are in remote parts of the apiar.y, 

 we would build up the stronger at the ex- 

 pense of the weaker by taking from the lat- 

 ter a frame of sealed brood and giving it 

 to the stronger. Continue this practice until 

 the weak one has exhausted all its brood, and 

 then take all the bees and carry them to the 

 other stand. 



W. O. M., Provo, Utah. — 1. If a colony has its 

 queen taken from them, or should she be killed, can 

 the colony rear a new queen from the eggs left in 

 the worker cells ? 



2. If a queen should be introduced where there is 

 a laying worker, what would be the result — would 

 the queen be accepted and the worker stop laying? 



A. 1. If the colony is queenless the bees 

 will raise another one, providing there are 

 eggs or larvae in the hive. 



2. If the laying queen were introduced in 

 a hive where there were laying workers, 

 there is a strong probability that the queen 

 would be killed, altho queens may be intro- 

 duced some times and the laying workers 

 will disappear. The best way to treat a 

 colony of laying workers is to give them a 

 ripe queen-cell from a good colony. It is 

 not wise to take chances on a good laying 

 queen. 



A. D., Colorado. — My colonies of bees are very 

 strong about November. I have a great number of 

 dead ones before the entrance of the hives. Would 

 you advise me if they are weak in spring with 

 plenty of stores to give a young queen for building 

 up the colonies ? 



A. If any colonies are weak in the spring 

 the giving of young queens might not and 

 probably would not do any good. If the colony 

 is queenless, of course giving them a queen 

 would be the thing to do. The better thing 

 is to unite these weak colonies with other 

 weak ones, especially a queenless one with 

 one that has a queen. 



Of course a young queen is as a rule better 

 than an old one. If a colony is weak be- 

 cause the queen is failing, a young or another 

 queen should be given. 



J. A. C, Michigan. — Is it possible to have a 

 colony too strong in the spring? 



A. Yes. A colony just boiling over with 

 bees is inclined to swarm just at the begin- 

 ning of the honey-flow. It is advisable to 

 pull it down some by removing from them 

 a frame of hatching brood, and giving it to 

 a colony that is a little below par. 



