374 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1917 



H. 



G., Ontario. 

 — Is it true 

 that a queen 

 will not go 

 into an upper story 

 and lay when the 

 frames are cross- 

 wise or at right 

 angles to those in 

 the lower story ? 



c 



GLEANED by ASKING 



1 



E. R. Root 



i=rs 



^^^^^^^^ 



%j 



A. As Mr. E. F. Holtermann, of Ontario, 

 uses twelve-frame hives that are square, and 

 has tested out this proposition, we referred 

 it to him for answer. His reply is as fol- 

 lows: 



" No, it will not be a sure way to keep the 

 queen in the brood-chamber; but it does have 

 a tendency to keep the queen below, be- 

 cause the passageway is broken. I have 

 used such supers, and nevertheless am using 

 queen-excluders, and do not consider them 

 as an ornament but a necessity. Then, too, 

 we must remember that few beekeepers have 

 their surplus combs all worker comb; and no 

 drone comb in the super is safe from the 

 queen unless she has enough in the brood- 

 chamber to supply the ambition of the queen 

 and colony. No, I would not depend upon 

 that way to keep the queen in the body of 

 the hive. Again, ventilation is checked very 

 much in the continuity of the passages be- 

 tween the combs of the colony. " E. F. H. 



C. W., Oregon. — I lost two stands of bees last 

 winter — not enough bees, and very cold weather at 

 times. The combs are moldy. There is mold on 

 some of the honey. Could the honey be used as 

 food ? Would it be safe to feed to bees ? 



A. You can use the combs on which the 

 bees died, giving them to other bees. The 

 fact that they are molding would not render 

 them unfit for the purpose. The bees doubt- 

 less died because of insufficient protection 

 and not because the food was inferior. 



C. H. K., Ohio. — I have a lot of combs of honey 

 candied hard. Can you tell me how to extract it 

 without melting the combs ? 



A. There is no way that you can remove 

 the candied honey from the combs except to 

 soak them in warm water after uncapping 

 and then put them in an extractor. After 

 that you can give them to bees and they 

 may remove the honey and they may not. 

 We would use the combs for strengthening 

 up weak colonies by moistening them in 

 water, and you will find they will be excel- 

 lent for brood-rearing in the spring. If you 

 use the honey in this way they will extract 

 it; but in order to prevent the granules from 

 dropping down on the bottom-board and be- 

 ing lost, it will be necessary to wet the 

 combs occasionally in warm water. 



W. M., Ohio. — 1. About what time should brood- 

 rearing be started in Ohio — near Dayton ? 



2. When is it safe to open the hives for examina- 

 tion in the spring ? 



3. When does the honey-flow start, and what flora 

 furnishes it ? 



4. What furnishes the early pollen? 



A. 1. Brood-rearing may start in the vi- 

 cinity of Dayton, Ohio, as early as the first 



of January, but 

 usually not much 

 before the first 

 of March. At 

 that time there 

 will be some eggs 

 laid and a little 

 brood will ma- 

 ture, but not 

 much sealed 

 brood will be found before the first of April, 

 and then in little patches about as big as 

 one's hand. Something will depend upon 

 the size of the colonies. The larger the 

 colony the earlier the brood will be found 

 and the more of it. 



2. A hive may be opened up if it is out- 

 doors at any time when it is warm enough 

 for the bees to fl.y; but there should not be 

 very much manipulation of a colony of bees 

 before the first or middle of April, and then 

 only to supply it with sufficient stores if 

 they are running short. 



3. In your locality the honey-flow would 

 start somewhere about the first of June. 



4. Soft maple furnishes about the earliest 

 pollen. A good deal is secured from dande- 

 lion and fruit-bloom, especially early cherries 

 and peaches. 



C. G., Illinois. — 1. What is the value of black or 

 thorn locust as a honey -yielder ? 



2. How many stands of bees would 75 black-locust 

 trees support ? 



3. How far will a bee fly for honey? 



A. 1. Black locust, where it grows, is 

 usually regarded as a good honey-yielder. 

 It comes quite early in the season, and yields 

 considerable honey. But there are not 

 enough trees, usually, in a locality to yield 

 any considerable amount of surplus. For 

 that reason locust honey is seldom or never 

 seen in the markets; but, like the honey 

 from fruit-bloom, it is invaluable for build- 

 ing up colonies in the spring and supplying 

 them with stores until clover comes on later. 



2. It would be impossible to answer this 

 question, as there are no reliable data avail- 

 able; but 75 locust-trees would give quite 

 a boost to five colonies. If there were 100 

 colonies in the locality we should expect a 

 little honey in the hives, but not enough to 

 make any appreciable showing. 



3. This is a mooted question. Very often 

 bees will not go further than a few hundred 

 yards from the hive. If there is plenty of 

 flora available in a short distance they will 

 not go any further than is necessary. It 

 quite frequently happens that bees do not go 

 more than half a mile; but it is not uncom- 

 mon for them to go two or three miles. 

 Much depends on the lay of the land, the di- 

 rection of the wind, and the amount of flora 

 available in the immediate vicinity of the 

 hive. Bees have been known to fly even 

 ten miles across a body of water for nectar; 

 but they will not go that far over land. 



W. H. H., Pennsylvania. — 1. Would it be proper 

 for me to requeen in the spring or in the fall? 



2. Would I lose on the honey crop by doing it in 

 the spring ? 



