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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Queries aiid Replies, 



Opening tne Hives Before Sprini 



Query 754. — 1. Is it detrimtintal to 

 open the hives and examine the bees 

 before the Spring honey-flow ? 2. At 

 what time in the Spring would it be best 

 to malve such examination ? — Mich. 



No. Any warm day when the bees 

 can fly.— J. P. H. Brown. 



1. Yes. 2. We examine our bees 

 every fortnight, from March to June. — 

 Dadant & Sox. 



No ; not if proper care is used. It all 

 depends on locality and circumstances. 

 — H. D. Cutting. 



1. No, not if the weather is warm. 2. 

 Any warm, pleasant day in early Spring. 

 — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



1. Not in suitable weather. 2. When 

 the weather is so warm that the bees fly 

 freely.— R. L. Taylor. 



Not if the weather is warm. In cool 

 weather the bees will sometimes ball and 

 kill their queen.— M. Mahin. 



1. No. 2. Any time when the bees 

 can fly, and you can do it and not incite 

 the bees to robbing.— James Heddon. 



1. No. 2. Whenever the weather is 

 warm enough for the bees to fly. They 

 should not be disturbed at any other 

 time. — G. L. Tinker. 



1. No, not in the least. 2. Any warm 

 day. I often examine them while in the 

 cellar. It does them no harm if care- 

 fully done. — A. J. Cook. 



I make examinations in early Spring ; 

 as soon as the bees can fly with safety. 

 I consider this the correct thing to do in 

 order to get matters in shape for the 

 season. — J. E. Pond. 



1. It is owing to how you do your 

 work ; too much " monkeying " would be 

 injurious. 2. Any time when the tempera- 

 ture is right, but watch out for robbers. 

 — J. M. Hambaugh. 



1, I do not think it is well to fool with 

 them unnecessarily, but it will do no 

 harm to open the hive on a day warm 

 enough for them to fly well, if you do 

 not start robbing. — C. C. Miller. 



1. Not if the weather is suitable. 2. 

 As soon as the temperature is sufficiently 

 high to do it without chilling the brood, 



so as to see that they are in good condi- 

 tion, and have plenty of stores. — A. B. 

 Mason. 



1. Never open a hive at any time un- 

 less there is something to be gained by so 

 doing. 2. If there is something to be 

 gained, open the hive at any time when 

 it is warm enough for the bees to fly. — 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



1. No ; open the hives at any time the 

 weather is warm enough, and there is 

 any object for opening them. Always 

 be careful not to start the bees to rob- 

 bing when no honey is to be had in the 

 fields. 2. During fruit bloom. — C. H. 



DiBBERN. 



1. It is better not to open hives for 

 examination unless the weather is warm, 

 regardless of the honey-flow. 2. Any 

 day when the weather is warm enough 

 so that the brood will not be chilled. 

 But, really, little examination is neces- 

 sary. If they have honey enough and a 

 queen, you do not need to fuss with 

 them. — Eugene Secor. 



No, not if the bee-keeper has experi- 

 ence enough to know how and when to 

 handle his bees. If you will watch the 

 weather and your bees, you can tell 

 when you can safely handle them. 2. No 

 certain date can be fixed in any locality 

 as a proper time to open hives and ex- 

 amine bees. Any warm day in the 

 Spring, when the bees are gathering 

 pollen rapidly, they can be handled with- 

 out any danger. Bees will sometimes 

 ball and kill their queen if the hive is 

 opened in the early Spring, when the 

 weather is bad, and the bees are dis- 

 couraged and fretful, because they have 

 nothing to do. — G. W. Demaree. 



When an examination is necessary, it 

 can be made at any time when the 

 weather is warm in the Spring. — The 

 Editor. 



We Club the American Bee Journal 

 and the Illustrated Home Journal, one 

 year for $1.35. Both of these and 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture, for one year, 

 for $2.15. 



New Music. — From the White-Smith 

 Music Company we have some gems of 

 new songs: "Babylon," by Watson 

 (50 cents) : " Ferdinand John," by Paul 

 Rodney Bitte, German and English 

 words, by Bohn (25 cents) ; "In Sweet 

 September," by Temple (35 cents). 



