AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



329 



dueries ajid Replies. 



Honey-Dew for Winter Stores. 



Query 783.— 1. Will bees winter 

 safely on honey-dew, in a dry cellar of 

 an average temperature of 45°? 2, If 

 not, can I winter them on combs from an 

 extracting super filled with sugar syrup 

 and no pollen ; reserving the brood-combs 

 filled with honey-dew for next Spring ? 

 — Nash. 



1. I think so. 2. Yes. — James Hed- 



DOX. 



1. In my climate they would. — J. P. 

 H. BROwisr. 



1. I have been told that they will not. 

 2. I think so. — C. C. Miller. 



1. They may, but it is not so safe as 

 clover honey. 2. Yes. — Dadant & Son. 



1. A trial only would determine. 2. 

 Yes ; that would be an excellent way. — 

 R. L. Taylor. 



1. I would be afraid to risk it. 2. 

 This I believe to be your safest plan. — 

 J. M. Hambaugh. 



1. I had bees winter fairly on honey- 

 dew one Winter, which is all the experi- 

 ence I ever had with it. — G. M. Dog- 

 little. 



1. Yes, and no. It depends on the 

 quality. We now have honey-dew that 

 I have no fear of. If rank, no. 2. 

 Yes. — A. J. Cook. 



1. That is a question that bothers me 

 a good deal just now. My experience 

 says no, but still I may be mistaken. 2. 



Yes. — C. H. DiBBERN. 



1. Yes, if it is of good quality. 2. 

 Yes. That is the "pollen theory," 

 Simon p'ure, and is the best way to 

 winter bees. — A. B. Mason. 



1. I do not know. I should think that 

 they might, if it was gathered and well 

 ripened in the early part of the season. 

 2. Yes. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



1. I should be afraid to try it, if there 

 was any considerable amount of honey- 

 dew in the brood-chamber. 2. You can, 

 undoubtedly. — Eugene Secor. 



1. There are many kinds, or grades, 

 of the so-called honey-dew. I have seen 

 a little of it that ought to kill anything 

 that could be induced to swallow it; 

 and I have seen more of it that would be 



perfectly safe as a Winter food for bees. 

 2. Sugar syrup will winter bees about as 

 well as good honey, and you need give 

 yourself no anxiety about pollen. Bees 

 need pollen to start brood-rearing in the 

 early Spring.— G. W. Demaree. 



1. I do not believe they will, though I 

 never have tested it. 2. Yes. Sugar 

 syrup is claimed by many to be the very 

 best Winter food. I should not use the 

 combs of honey-dew for any purpose. — 

 J. E. Pond. 



1. It depends on the kind of "bugs" 

 that produce the honey-dew. That from 

 beech forests is fatal to bees, in or out 

 of the cellar. That is the only kind I 

 have had any experience with. 2. Yes. 

 — M. Mahin. 



1. No. 2. It is safe to winter on 

 combs having pollen and sugar syrup, 

 but not so safe without pollen. Where 

 bees can have Winter flights on the 

 summer stands, if well protected, they 

 will winter safely on honey-dew. — G. L. 

 Tinker. 



1. That depends on the quality of the 

 "bug-juice" and the Winter tempera- 

 ture. In a mild Winter it might do, but 

 in a severe season there would be great 

 danger in its use. Many whole apiaries 

 have been ruined by its use, audit would 

 be wise to advise caution. 2. Yes ; 

 that will be a safe way of disposing of 

 the honey-dew. — The Editor. 



Keep the Bees at Work. 



The bee-keeper cannot afford to have 

 idle bees for want of room, or because 

 they refuse to work in the supers, says 

 the Northwestern Agriculturist. Try in 

 every way to induce them to work above. 



One way is to replace one or two frames 

 of young larva below, with empty combs, 

 and then with the zim3 excluder keep the 

 queen below. By putting the brood in 

 the center of the upper story, they can 

 be started in the top. 



Those working for comb-honey take 

 sections that were partly built out the 

 year before, or from colonies that are 

 already working above, and put in the 

 hives they are trying to start. 



This is where beginners are most apt 

 to fail. They think something is the 

 matter with the bees, when they only 

 need coaxing to start them above. This 

 should be done as early in the season as 

 possible, for if neglected, and the bees 

 are crowded below, they will get ready 

 to swarm by starting queen-cells. 



