164 



£BE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



REPLIES by Prominent Apiarists. 



Cellar-fiiiteriiigofBees, 



Qnerj", ^o. 215.— 1. About, what time 

 should bees be put into the cellar for win- 

 ter? 2. What should the temperature of 

 the cellar be ? 3. Should the hives be open 

 at the top, or should they be covered ? 4. 

 About what time should they be put out in 

 the spring ?— C. S. 



1. When there are no prospects of 

 further flights; before freezing 

 weather if possible. 2. 45°. 3. The 

 hives should be covered. 4. When 

 there is something for them to gather. 

 — W. Z. Hutchinson. 



1. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 20, accord- 

 ing to the latitude. 2. From 42^ to 

 47^. 3. The hives should be covered 

 lightly. 4. About the time elm and 

 soft maple bloom.— G. M. Doolittle. 



1. Before severely cold weather 

 comes. 2. As nearly 45° Fahr. as is 

 possible. 3. I prefer no upward ven- 

 tilation ; though in a good cellar it is 

 not a serious question. 4. With us, 

 about April 10— when pollen can be 

 secured.— A. J. Cook. 



1. The first very cold weather after 

 a warm day, say the last of November 

 or early in December In this latitude. 

 2. 45°. Try that which will keep 

 them the most quiet, and do not guess 

 at it as some do, but have a ther- 

 mometer right there. 3. A little up- 

 ward ventilation suits us, unless there 

 is a large lower ventilation. 4. The 

 drst warm day of spring, not too 

 early— March 1 to > March 15 in this 

 latitude.— Dadant'& Son. 



FeeiiinE Bees in tlie Mil 



Query ,'No. 216.— At what time is it best 

 to begin feeding bees in the spring to pro- 

 mote breeding ? Should I begin before or 

 after they commence carrying in pollen?— 

 W. J. C, Ills. 



When I do feed bees to stimulate 

 breeding, I commence as soon as the 

 bees can fly out nearly every day. But 

 when my bees have plenty of honey 

 it does not pay me to feed them.— G. 

 W. Demaree. 



Perhaps If they have an abundance 

 of stores and plenty of spriug pasture 

 you need not meddle with them. If 

 they do not do so of their own accord, 

 try to have them breed fast about live 

 weeks before you expect a harvest.— 

 C. C. Miller. 



I do not advise stimulative feeding 

 in early spring indiscriminately. If 

 advisable at all it should be done early 

 enough so that the young bees would 

 emerge from the cells in time to allow 

 the foragers to leave on the first ap- 

 pearance of honey. To this end a 

 knowledge of the flora of the locality. 



and the time it begins to secrete nec- 

 tar must be known and kept in mind. 

 It takes 21 days from the egg to pro- 

 duce the worker, and 3 or 4 days more 

 to make it serviceable.— J. E. Pond, 

 Jr. 



I will not attempt to advise you, 

 but in this locality I would advise 

 never to feed bees to stimulate breed- 

 ing. If our hives and bees are what 

 they should be, feeding could do no 

 good. Brood development will go on 

 as fast as other conditions will admit, 

 without any feeding. — Jambs Hed- 



DON. 



I would not begin at all if they 

 have plenty of stores. In any case I 

 should not feed unless short of stores, 

 before the bees can get pollen. The 

 grand secret in building up strong 

 colonies in the spring is to have 

 plenty of healthy bees to begin the 

 work. If they have ample stores they 

 will then need no attention. If they 

 have lost half of their numbers in 

 wintering, and are diseased, they will 

 require the brood-nest contracted, and 

 protection on frosty nights. Then 

 feed moderately on warm syrup.— G. 

 L. Tinker. 



Graiinlation of Honey. 



Query, No. 217.— When extracted honey 

 is to be sold in glass and in tin, it is desira- 

 ble that the honey in glass should not 

 granulate, and that in tin should granulate. 

 By what means can granulation be retarded 

 in one case and hastened in the other ?— Me. 



The granulation of honey is re 

 tarded by keeping it in a warm place 

 and sealed from the air. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



The granulation of honey can be 

 hastened by storing it in a cold place, 

 or retarded by storing it in a warm 

 place.— H. R.'Boardsian. 



Keep the glass warm and the tin 

 cold. After all, it may be a matter 

 beyond your control.— C. C. Miller. 



A high temperature will retard 

 granulation in honey, but when it is 

 subjected to a low temperature it 

 seems to granulate the sooner on that 

 account. I would not advise tinker- 

 ing with honey in any way. Keep it 

 in the best place that you have, and 

 rely on its purity and good quality to 

 sell it.— G. W. D'emabeb. 



Who can tellV Some kinds of 

 honey granulate sooner than others. 

 Heat will retard granulation and cold 

 accelerates it, as a rule. The rule, 

 however, can only be applied gener- 

 ally on account of the difference in 

 various honeys. I will pay a hand- 

 some sum for a correct answer to this 

 question ; that is, for a full and com- 

 plete answer; I fear, though, that I 

 shall not have a chance to do so for a 

 long time yet.— J. E. Pond, Jr. 



In my experience clear liquid honey 

 out-sells that which is candied in any 

 receptacle, the only object in candy- 

 ing being to prevent leakage. Cus- 

 tomers will, by their purchases, de- 

 clare in favor of clear honey. To 

 know how to prevent its candying, 



ask those who adulterate honey. I 

 say, educate the people to liquify 

 honey at will ; buy it candied and use 

 it either or both ways. — James Hed- 



DON. 



Mm Bees Winter Flislits. 



Query, No. 218. —What is the best method 

 of giving bees that are in a cellar a winter 

 flight ? What precautions should be taken 

 as to weather, sunshine, temperature, etc. V 

 What is the lowest safe ; temperature meas- 

 ured by a thermometer in the shade ?— Me. 



I do not approve of taking bees 

 from the cellar for a winter flight. If 

 it is to be done, however, I would 

 have a warm, still day, with the tem- 

 perature not lower than .50° in the 

 shade.— \V. Z. Hutchinson. 



If they are quiet, do not give them 

 any. A winter flight incites them to 

 breed, and they may be restless after 

 that. If they are taken out at all, the 

 mercury should not be under .50° in 

 the shade, and the sun must shine ; 

 without wind or clouds.— Dadant & 

 Son. 



I never, of late years, give mine 

 such a flight, believing it worse than 

 useless. Bees can safely fly with the 

 mercury at 45° in the shade, providing 

 the sun shines and it is still.— G. M. 

 DoolittLe. 



The cheapest method is to have the 

 cellar all right, then no winter flight 

 is necessary. Unless the tempera- 

 ture is above 60°, Fahr., in the shade, 

 bees ought not to fly. Of course sun- 

 shine is desirable, and heavy winds 

 very objectionable. — A. J. Cook. 



Rearing Drones, 



Query, No. 219. — Most apicultural writers 

 advise the prevention of drone-rearing and 

 excluding them if reared when working for 

 surplus honey. On the other hand, a few 

 think that colonies to do their best should 

 have their proportion of drones ; that their 

 office is to generate heat and keep up the 

 temperature of the hives, as well as to 

 fertilize queens ; that their large bodies and 

 stomachs are better fitted tor this purpose 

 than workers ; and they are allowed in the 

 hive as long as brood or queens are to be 

 reared, and then destroyed. Is it not possible 

 that we are on the wrong track in entirely 

 e.\cluding drones? What are your ideas on 

 this subject ?— Pawtucket, R. I. 



I think that the prevention of drone- 

 rearins is a little over-done, and time 

 will show in what respect.— H. D. 

 Cutting. 



From my own experience in the 

 production of honey, I find that a few 

 square inches of drone-comb is no dis- 

 advantage. It is more than probable 

 that they do assist not only in evap- 

 orating the honey, but also in main- 

 taining the heat for the brood.— J. P. 

 II. Brown. 



I allow from 2 to 5 square inches of 

 drone-comb to the hive, and I believe 

 that such an amount is preferable to 

 either more or less.— G.M.Doo little. 



