THOUSAND ANSWERS 79 



A. Not if the entrance-guarc} is perfect and the queen of nor- 

 mal size. Some have thought that when a queen is not laying, 

 her abdomen consequently smaller than usual, she might get 

 through a perforation smaller than when in full laying, But it is 

 not the size of the abdomen that prevents her passage, it is the 

 thorax. The abdomen is soft and yielding, and when at the 

 largest it will easily flatten out to go through any perforation 

 large enough to allow the passage of the thorax. The thorax is 

 a sort of bony structure, which is the same whether the queen is 

 laying little or much. 



Entrances. — Q. I have contracted the entrances to all hives of 

 colonies that need feeding or that are weak in bees. The strong 

 colonies don't need any contracting, do they? 



A. It is not so important to lessen the entrance, as to avoid 

 everything that may start robbing. This year my nuclei have the 

 same entrance as the full colonies — 12 by 2 inches — and there has 

 also been one case of robbing at a full colony with a normal lay- 

 ing queen. Very likely some unwise thing had been done to start 

 the robbing. 



Q. Do you contract the entrance in the spring during cool 

 nights? If so, how much? Is it not a good plan to contract the 

 entrance on account of robber-bees in spring? 



A. Yes, just as soon as my bees are taken out of the cellar 

 the entrances are contracted to a hole three-quarters to one inch 

 square. It helps against robbing and keeps the bees warmer, 

 day and night. 



Q. Would you contract a wide entrance during a cool spell in 

 summer? 



A. No. Takes too much work. But if I had only a few colo- 

 nies, and worked them as a sort of pastime, I might change the 

 entrance according to the weather. 



Q. Is there any advantage to have the entrance 1J4 inches 

 deep and full width of hive? 



A. Yes; it gives chance for better ventilation in hot weather, 

 and also in winter, if you winter in the cellar. But you cannot 

 have 1J4 inches under bottom-bars in summer unless you have 

 some provision to prevent the bees building down. 



Q. Should I diminish the entrance of the hive in winter? 

 (California.) 



A. In your locality probably no contraction is needed. 



Q. Should the entrance be 1x5 inches, with a wire-cloth in it 

 to prevent mice entering? 



