THOUSAND ANSWERS 15 i 



trance closed with wire-cloth having three meshes to the inch. 

 That will bar mice, but allow bees to pass. 



Milkweed.— Q. (a) I enclose what we call milkweed. The bees 

 work on it hard. A magnifying glass shows a sticky substance on 

 It. Is It a good honey-plant? 



(b) Why do bees stick to it? 



A. (a) Yes, except for the trouble you mention in the next 

 question. 



(b) The pollen masses get fastened to their feet and stick so 

 tight that the bees pull them from the plant and carry them away. 



(See Legs of Bees.) 



Miller Cage.— Q. Would not a block V/i inches square with a 

 f^-inch hole bored in the center answer as well as if I used two 

 pieces J4xJ^, a piece of tin and a piece of section each J^-inch 

 square? This is for a Miller cage. 



A. It would answer just as well, except that it would take up 

 too much room to be put between two combs. 



Moisture in Hive. — Q. I find a dampness against the top of 

 the hive, in winter. Should the bees have top ventilation, or will 

 the dampness not do any harm? 



A. If there is enough dampness so it will fall in drops on the 

 bees it will do harm. Give upward ventilation by placing a 

 cushion over the top to keep it warm. Then the dampness will 

 not settle on them. 



Q. I am wintering my bees out of doors in the following man- 

 ner; take off. cover, place a piece of burlap over the frames, 

 place empty comb honey super on top of this, fill with chaff, 

 put cover on top, raised one-sixteenth of an inch. I do this 

 to prevent moisture from collecting inside. This does pre- 

 vent it to a great extent, but even with this protection, when 

 we had a spell of weather with the thermometer down to zero 

 every morning for a week, some frost will collect on the walls 

 and outside frames of the hives, and there will be some ice inside 

 around the entrance; but the clusters are apparently dry and 

 comfortable. Do you think this much moisture will keep the 

 bees from wintering perfectly? I have tried packing outside on 

 top of the cover. It didn't do much good. 



A. When you go out in very cold weather on a long drive, you 

 often find frost and ice collecting on the wrappings about the 

 face. That is no proof that you are not wintering all right. Same 

 with the bees. They are breathing out moisture all the time, and 

 when it's cold enough you will find that moisture condensing into 

 frost and ice, even though the bees be wintering all right. 



