462 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



E. 



C 



GLEANED BY ASKING 



F. B., C o 11 

 neeticut. — In 

 opening hives 

 in the spring 

 there is often found 

 too much honey. 

 "When six frames 

 out of ten are tilled 

 with honey for the 

 greater part, aad 

 the others are some- 

 what cluttered up with pollen, honey, etc., so there is 

 not proper room for brood, what would you do in that 

 case? Is it best to set aside these honey-frames and 

 insert new frames with full comb foundation ? Do 

 you think that bees ever carry honey from the 

 brood-frames to the" super, or is the super honey 

 always brought directly in from the fields ? I have 

 had some super honey that seemed to me not fresh, 

 but as if honey had been carried up from the main 

 part of the hive. 



A. As a general thing there is not much 

 danger of having too much honey in frames 

 with honey and pollen in the brood-nest in 

 the spring. Sometimes later on in the sea- 

 son we have a condition where we say the 

 queen is "honey bound," but there is no 

 trouble along that line in the spring. The 

 condition you refer to is a little above nor- 

 mal but should not be disturbed. If you were 

 to put in frames of foundation you would 

 spread the brood-nest and do more harm than 

 good. As a -general thing the bees will move 

 the honey from one part of the brood-nest 

 to the other in order to give the queen more 

 room to lay eggs during the breeding season. 

 It is always a splendid thing to have lots of 

 stores in the hives, for then the queen will 

 breed more and the bees will see that the 

 stores are properly moved. 



Yes, they move them from the brood-nest 

 into supers, and sometimes from the supers, 

 during cold weather, down into the brood- 

 nest again. 



A. B. S., Ohio. — I have some colonies that are 

 not going into the supers, and others have begun 

 work in sections. What is the trouble? 



A. Something will depend on the strain of 

 bees. Some strains will go upstairs more 

 readily than others; but the usual explana- 

 tion of the condition mentioned is that the 

 colonies that persist in staying downstairs 

 are not strong enough to go above. Another 

 explanation may be that the honey-flow is 

 too light. If there is considerable room in 

 the brood-nest, bees will not go above until 

 • the lower part of the hive is filled and combs 

 begin to whiten. 



W. N. T., Massachusetts. — I live in a locality 

 where there is practically no clover. I wish to go 

 into the business extensively. Would you advise 

 me to move? 



A. Yes, providing you intend to make 

 bees your sole means of livelihood. But if 

 your 'main income is from your business or 

 profession, and you are keeping bees for 

 pleasure as well as for profit, we would ad- 

 vise you to stay where you are. If you de- 

 cide to move, seek some locality where lime 

 is abundant, and where clover will grow 

 readily. If possible, find a place where 

 farmers are growing alsikc extensively, 



3 



June, 1917 



Those who grow 

 different legumes 

 are usually locat- 

 ed in a place 

 where the soil is 

 alkaline. 



Some farmers 

 scatter lime on 

 their farms to 

 make up the de- 

 ficiency. If you can, with your clover locali- 

 ty, find a good place lying near some stream, 

 where there is plenty of fall flow, it will 

 be so much the better. 



Alsike-clover regions where there are no 

 bees are pretty scarce, and you may find it 

 necessary to move into a western country. 

 If you do, buy a round-trip ticket, taking 

 in the western states, with the privilege of a 

 stop-off. Hunt up the beekeepers in the lo- 

 cality and find a place that is not already 

 occupied, especially one where irrigation is 

 starting, and where alfalfa will be one of the 

 main crops. In some places you will find 

 beekeepers a little reticent, especially if 

 they think you intend to locate in their terri- 

 tory. In some cases you can buy out a bee- 

 keeper including his bee range. 



J. C. B., Illinois. — Is there such a thing as having 

 a colony too strong for the honey harvest? 



A. If there are too many bees and too 

 much brood in all stages, and hive boiling 

 over with bees at the approach of the har- 

 vest, there is danger of premature swarming. 

 Such a colony may waste its efforts in loaf- 

 ing and getting ready to swarm when a colo- 

 ny of less strength would get down to busi- 

 ness and start storing in the supers. In the 

 production of extracted honey, if there are . 

 plenty of supers with empty combs there is 

 not much danger of having a colony Joo 

 strong, providing a super of combs is given 

 in time. In the production of comb honey 

 it is best not to have a colony too strong; 

 anl to forestall that condition a little equal- 

 izing can be practiced to advantage. 



In relation to this general proposition, it 

 is but fair to state that not all beekeepers 

 are agreed; and the question of locality will 

 have some bearing. If the honey-flow comes 

 on very gradually, increasing in the mean 

 time, bees will be more likely to start swarm- 

 ing than if the flow comes on with a sudden 

 rush. But even here again locality will 

 have a bearing. If possible one should con- 

 sult some expert beekeeper in his own lo- 

 cality, and be governed by his advice. 



P. G. M., New York. — I have heard it said that 

 black bees produce whiter comb honey than Italians. 

 Is that true? and if true would you advise me to 

 continue with them? 



A. It is true that comb honey from blacks 

 is a little whiter; but the difference between 

 that produced by Italians and blacks is not 

 enough to be noticed by the general public. 

 In fact, European foul brood is now so 

 prevalent that you would do well to Italian- 

 ize after the honey harvest when queens are 

 cheap. The blacks will be almost sure to 

 contract European foul brood sooner or later. 



