94 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



one-half or whole story arrange- 

 ment, with one pound sections, 

 ready and complete for storage of 

 surplus com!) honey. The bees to 

 be delivered at our depot here, 

 securely packed, as early next 

 spring as they can be transported 

 with safet}'. 



Joseph E. Pono, jr. 



Foxboro, Norfolk Co., 3Iass., 

 Aug. 8, 1883. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWEIiS. 



BY THE EDITOR. 



1. About what time in the fall does 

 your last surplus yield of honey cease? 



2. After this yield has been secured, 

 and the sections removed, what is the 

 first necessary work to be done with 

 the bees? 



3. What time in the fall do you gen- 

 erally re-queen your apiary for the 

 next season by superseding worn-out 

 or worthless queens? 



4. In apiaries run for surplus honey 

 do you find it either advantageous or 

 necessary to examine your colonies 

 frequently late in the fall? If so, why? 



5. At what time in the fall should 

 your colonies (regarding size of brood- 

 chamber, amount of stores and amount 

 of bees) be properly prepared for the 

 coming winter? 



6. What do you consider to be a 

 proper condition of the colonies re- 

 garding W'intering? 



7. Which do you favor, having a 

 large proportion of the bees (prepar- 

 atory to winter) young or old, and 

 why"? 



8. Which do you prefer, honey or 

 sugar syrup for winter stores and why ? 



9. Which do you consider the best 

 time for feeding up your colonies for 

 winter? 



10. Do you have the best results from 

 cellar, bee-house or out-door wiuter- 

 InjT? . 



ANSWKUS BY 



nOK. COOK. 



1. Tlie time our first heavy frost 

 comes, which is about the 20th of Sep- 

 tember. 



2. After this we remove sections at 

 once ; feed for winter if necessary. See 

 that every colony has thirty pounds of 

 good capped honey or syrup ; see that 

 there are winter passages ; remove all 

 but about eightframes (Gallup frames) ; 

 confine brood-chamber by use of di- 

 vision board; remove frames contain- 

 ing pollen; cover with porous cloth 

 and place at ends and above the bees, 

 large sack of dry sawdust. 



3. We replace poor queens any time 

 in the season, just as soon as they 

 show any weakness. 



4. We never examine after we have 

 arranged as described above. We then 

 note every condition and supply any 

 want. 



5. This is answered in No. 2. At the 

 same time we unite nuclei if desired. 

 These are kept breeding so as to winter 

 well when united. 



6. Answered in No. 2. 



7. We prefer young bees in fair pro- 

 portion, for the reason that it seems 

 necessary, and our experiments show 

 that it is. If our bees continue to 

 breed till Sept. 20, and we secure this 

 by feeding if necessary, the bees will 

 be of proper age. 



8. I do not care ; sugar though is 

 always good, not so honey. If the 

 honey is capped and tastes good I have 

 no fear. 



9. Answered in No. 2. 

 10. In cellar decidedly. 



Lansing, Mich. 



ANSWERS BY J. E. HETHEIUXGTON. 



1. At the time of first frost, or from 

 the 1st to the 12th of September. 



2. To know that each colony has 

 sufficient food, bees and a queen that 

 will be certain to do her part well the 

 next season. 



3. I have never settled down to any 

 one system, but governed by circum- 

 stances. Last year I did it mostly at 

 the time of swarming and the balance 

 with queens reared on buckwheat. 

 This season it will be mostly done Avlien 

 the brood from the old queens will be 

 too late to work on buckwheat; the 

 queens to be superseded are now 

 marked ; this has been done during the 

 sunnner. The queens reared on the 

 flush of basswood I consider as best as 

 they are less inclined to breed in winter. 



