THOUSAND ANSWERS 31 



A. It is not advisable. Buckwheat seems to fit better as a late 

 growth. Even if it should succeed when grown early, it would 

 not be desirable where the earlier harvest gives honey of a lighter 

 color, and better quality. 



Q. I have a patch of buckwheat now in full bloom, but my bees 

 do not pay any attention to it. What do you think is the cause 

 of this? 



A. I think buckwheat sowed about the first of July yields nec- 

 tar better than that sowed earlier, and yours may have been sown 

 too early. However, buckwheat is like white clover and other 

 plants, it sometimes fajls to yield nectar, no matter whether early 

 or late, and I don't know why. Bees rarely work on buckwheat 

 bloom in the afternoon. 



Buildings, Bees in. — Q. There are a few swarms of bees in a 

 house, and one in the bank building, which are troublesome. The 

 openings are very small. How can they be killed? 



A. Try putting in four or five tablespoonfuls of carbon disul- 

 fide (called also bisulphide of carbon.) It must be done at a time 

 when all the bees are in, some sort of a crooked funnel being ar- 

 ranged to make the liquid enter the hole, and the hole promptly 

 closed. Have no light near, for fear of an explosion. 



Q. I have an old frame building and between the walls honey- 

 bees have made a home. There are three or four colonies in this 

 building, and I would like to know if it would be possible to get 

 them out from between the walls and put them in standard hives? 



A. Cut away the walls so that you can get at the combs, and 

 put them in the hive; leave the hive as near as possible to the old 

 place of entrance; close up the wall so no bee can get into it, 

 keeping the bees smoked out until this is done; then gradually 

 move the hive each day to where you want it. That's the general 

 principle, which may be varied according to circumstances. 



Buildings for Bees. — Q. Is it possible to keep several colonies 

 of bees in a building, using a window as a common entrance for 

 all? 



A. Yes, with proper precautions. The room must be light 

 enough so bees can easily find their own hives after they are in 

 the room, or else a tube for each hive to the outside, and there 

 must be no chance for a bee to get out of the tube into the room. 

 In the first case (the light room) precaution must be taken against 

 bees flying against the glass where they cannot get out. The win- 

 dow, or windows, must have an opening at bottom and top of each 

 window, or no sash at all. 



