March, 1921 



G I^ E A N I N G S IN BEE CULTURE 



Ifio 



flow in order to have the shallow extracting 

 super well filled with honey at the close of 

 the season to insure plenty of stores for the 

 lolony. 



FROST I>; ENTRANCE. 



Question. — This morning the % -inch entrance 

 hole of one of the colonies in a double winter case 

 was nearly closed with frost. There was just a little 

 liole about Vs inch in diameter that remained open. 

 What does this frost indicate? 



New York. Cordelia Timmerman. 



Answer. — This frost in the entrance indi- 

 cates that the moisture given off by the bees 

 is passing out of the hive thru the entrance 

 in the form of vapor. The warmer air within 

 the hive has a greater capacity for moisture 

 than the colder air outside. The moisture 

 can be held in vapor form until it becomes 

 chilled at the entrance when some of it 

 condenses and frost is formed. Frost in the 

 entrance would indicate that your hives are 

 well packed, for otherwise it would be 

 formed inside the hive. 



CONFINING BEES IN CELLAR. 



Question. — I have cages on the hives in the eel 

 lar, and at present several colonies are raging and 

 roaring, seeming to want to get out. They cluster 

 outside in the cages and till them tho the tempera 

 ture in the cellar is 40 degrees. What do you think 

 makes them act so and what would you do? 



South Dakota. E. O. Mashamer. 



Answer.— When bees are confined to their 

 hives they may be expected to become rest- 

 less and try to find some way to get out. 

 As long as the bees do not realize that they 

 can not escape, they may remain quiet: 

 but, when some of the old worn-out bees 

 attempt to leave the hive and find that they 

 can not do so, the colony becomes greatly 

 disturbed and many bees rush out into the 

 cage in their attempt to escape. If the cage 

 were larger or the colony weaker, there 

 would be less trouble, but it is not best to 

 try to confine bees to their hives in this 

 way. The cages should be removed at once, 

 and, if the disturbance has not been of too 

 long standing, the bees may quiet down 

 again. If the stores are good and the cellar 

 temperature is right, only those bees that 

 are too old to be of any further use to the 

 colony should leave the hives during the 

 winter, and it is better to leave the en 

 trances open so these old bees can escape. 



USE OF POLLEN. 



Question. — What is the value of polleai to bees ' 

 Louisiana. G. D. Verchee. 



Answer.- — Pollen is used by the nurse bees 

 in elaborating the larval food, and may be 

 used to some extent by other adult bees. 

 Pollen contains the tissue-building elements 

 and is therefore needed in the growth of 

 larvae, while honey contains energy-produc 

 ing elements. Without pollen brood-rearing 

 would not be possible, and it may be im- 

 portant as a small part of the food for adult 

 bees, but they cannot live on pollen alone. 



ADVANTAGE OF TWO-STOEY HIVE. 



Question. — What are the advantages of using the 

 10-frame hive two stories high? R. C. 



Montana. 

 Answer. — A second storv for brood-rear- 



ing is advantageous in the spring, since a 

 single story may not be large enough for the 

 full development of strong colonies. The 

 second story shoitld contain an abundance 

 of honey to insure extensive brood-rearing 

 and at the same time supply additional room 

 for the most prolific queens. In your climate 

 it may be better to reduce your colonies to 

 a single brood-chamber for winter, then give 

 the second hive-body supplied with honey 

 and some empty comb when these are needed 

 in the spring. When producing extracted 

 honey, by permitting the queen to have free 

 range of two brood-chambers previous to 

 the honey flow the tendency to swarm is 

 greatly reduced. Later the queen should be 

 confined to the lower hive-body. 



BEES ON SHARES. 



Question. — Within a radius of four miles there 

 are three or four men who have asked me to take 

 care of their bees. Will you please tell me what 

 would be a fair share of the honey and increase, the 

 owner paying for all the supplies ? 



Ohio. S. C. Botdorf. 



Answer. — Uusually in such cases the own- 

 er and the beekeper divide the marketable 

 honey and wax equally, and share equally 

 the' expense for containers when extracted 

 honey is produced, and for sections, founda- 

 tion, and shipping cases when comb honey 

 is produced. Increase, if any, usually be- 

 longs to the owner. If no surplus honey is 

 secured, the owner usually agrees to pay the 

 beekeeper a sum previously agreed upon. If 

 feeding becomes necessary, the owner pro- 

 vides the sugar for this purpose, the bee- 

 keeper doing the feeding. 



SENDING SAMPLES OF BROOD DISEASE. 



Question. — Where and how can I ship comb for 

 examination for foul brood ? If by mail, how should 

 it be packed? R. M. Hamilton. 



Pennsylvania. 



Answer. — Samples of comb in which one 

 of the brood diseases is suspected shouhl be 

 sent for diagnosis to the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, Division of Bee Culture, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. These samples should be sent by 

 mail, packed in a small wooden box. An 

 empty cigar box will do very well for this 

 purpose. The comb should not be wrapped, 

 but should simply be fitted into the box. 

 Tin cans or tin boxes should not be used 

 for sending samples, since the comb is liable 

 to become mouldy if sent in tight containers, 

 thus rendering them unfit for diagnosis. In 

 selecting the sample to be sent, choose that 

 portion of the comb which contains the 

 greatest number of dead larvae or pupae 

 and cut out a piece to fit the box. No honey 

 should be included in the sample, since this 

 would, in all probability, leak out and dam- 

 age other mail matter. A small wooden box 

 for mailing samples of diseased brood may 

 be had by writing to the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology at Washington. Great care should be 

 taken when jjreparing samples of diseased 

 brood in this way, to prevent any bees hav- 

 ing access to them, thus spreading the dis- 

 ease to other colonies. 



