THOUSAND ANSWERS 29 



This swarm I caught late in August, so it did not have time to pro- 

 cure stores for the winter. 



A. A good colony wintered outdoors will be likely to rear 

 brood before February is over, if it has pollen. If no pollen is 

 present, you need not expect brood till pollen can be gathered. 



Q. Will bees rear brood sooner in spring when wintered in 

 the cellar or on the summer stands? 



A. They begin rearing brood, as a rule, sooner outdoors than 

 in cellar. Even in the north, brood-rearing outdoors begins often, 

 if not generally, in February, and in the cellar generally not till 

 March. 



Q. What is the most satisfactory way of stimulating brood- 

 rearing in the spring? 



A. The most satisfactory way for me is to see that the bees 



have plenty, yes, more than plenty — abundance — of stores; keep 



them well closed up, and then let them entirely alone. If your 



queens are not so good at laying as to do their best without the 



lash, or if your locality is such that you have good flying weather 



without any pasturage, then it may pay you to feed half a pound 



of diluted honey every other evening, or to change end for end 



the outside comb on each side. 



Brood Scattered. — Q. When you find little patches of brood 

 deposited here and there in the combs, what does it indicate? 

 A. Probably a failing queen. 



Brood, Spreading. — Q. What are the indications when it is 

 safe and profitable to spread the brood, i. e., place an empty comb 

 in the center? 



A. For some years I have been of the opinion that for me 

 there is no time when it is profitable to spread brood. Early in 

 the season, at the time when we want bees to build up as fast as 

 possible, the bees of their own accord have all the brood they can 

 cover. In that case, if brood is spread it can result only in chilled 

 brood, thus hindering instead of helping the building up. I don't 

 know whether the bees of others are different or not. If at any 

 time your bees are covering combs that have no brood or eggs at 

 the outer part of the cluster, it ought then to be safe and profit- 

 able to spread. But be sure you're right before you go ahead. 



Brood Uneven. — Q. I have one colony of bees whose cells are 

 uneven on top — some tall and some low. What is this? Some of 

 the brood looks pink, but does not smell. I have a virgin queen 

 in the hive. Could she be a drone-layer only, or not purely 

 mated? 



