130 DR. MILLER^S 



Q. Give your opinion as to bees wintering in cellar on honey- 

 dew. My bees used up a large portion of this honeydew which 

 they gathered earlier in the season in summer breeding, but, 

 while they have a good quantity of honey to winter on, much of 

 it seems to be dark and of a strong, almost sourish taste. 



A. A small amount of honeydew in winter stores seems to do 

 . little or no harm, but in large quantities it is likely to do much 

 harm. Of cotirse, there is a difference in honeydew in taste, and 

 there may be kinds not so bad for wintering as others, but it is 

 not safe to count on that. Although the honey crop was a failure, 

 it is just possible that you had a pretty fair fall flow, and that as 

 the brood-nest became less the vacant cells were filled with honey 

 of good quality for wintering. If you had extracted in September, 

 or even early in October, and fed sugar syrup, it might have been 

 safer. You might, however, lay a cake of candy, say an inch thick, 

 over top-bars, if you think you dare not risk what is in the combs, 

 as the bees would be likely to use the candy first. 



Honey Locust. — Q. How does the honey locust compare with 

 the linden in yielding nectar? 



A. Not nearly so good. But it comes earlier, when it may help 

 greatly in brood-rearing. The black locust is better. 



Honey-Plants. — Q. I would be pleased to know if there are 

 works on honey-plants. I have a couple of acres to devote 

 to artificial pasture just for the honey, if it is probable that suc- 

 cess might come of it in any way. 



A. There is probably no work published that treats particu- 

 larly of honey-plants, although the te.xt-books on bee-culture give 

 some information regarding them. It is not likely that you will 

 find any plant that will yield sufficient honey to make it profitable 

 for you to occupy land with it unless it yields a profit in some 

 other way. Sweet clover will probably come as near it as any- 

 thing you can find. If stock in your locality has learned to eat 

 sweet clover, either green or dry, it will pay to occupy good land 

 with it. 



Horsemint. — Q. I have some horsemint plants on my place. 

 Will they yield honey, and if so will this honey hurt the grade of 

 my other honey? 



A. Horsemint is not usually abundant enough in the northern 

 sections of the United States to produce surplus quantities suf- 

 ficient to make the taste noticeable. However, in Texas, horse- 

 mint honey is a regular crop. I should say that if you had horse- 

 mint in sufficient quantities it would probably give a mint flavor 



