152 DR. MILLER S 



Mold in Hives.— Q. What can be done with a colony that has 

 moldy combs when the whole entrance is open? I bored two 

 holes, one on each side of the back part of the cover, about half 

 an inch in diameter, and tacked some screen-wire over the_ holes, 

 then I placed a telescope cover (of my own make) over it, and 

 packed around it dry moss. Will it work? The bees are in a 

 good shed. They were dying off before I gave them the top ven- 

 tilation. Now they seem to be doing fine. 



A. "The proof of the pudding is the eating of it." If your bees 

 are doing well since you made the change, that is pretty good 

 proof that it is all right. Of course, there must not be too much 

 ventilation, lest the bees be too cold, but ventilation in some form 

 must be sufficient to prevent dampness and mold. 



Q. What can I do with moldy comb? Is there any special way 

 to clean comb in which brood and bees have died? 



A. Nothing is needed to be done with either moldy combs or 

 those in which bees have died except to give them in care of the 

 bees. They will clean them out in short order. A good way is 

 to put a hive full of such combs under the hive of a strong colony. 

 Then let the bees take their time to clean them. 



Morning Glory — Q. Does morning glory make nice honey? 

 We have hundreds, yes thousands, of acres here, and the bees 

 seem to work on it some; also carpet-grass. The honey I have ex- 

 tracted is light amber. 



A. I have read that it is of fair quality. 



Moving Bees. — Q. Will it be safe to move a colony now on a 

 high stand facing the east to a low stand six feet away and facing 

 the southeast? Will many of the bees get lost when they fly out? 



A. Something depends upon the weather. If, after moving, 

 the weather is cold enough to confine the bees to the hive for a 

 few days, or if the bees have not been flying for a few days — say 

 a week or so — there will be little trouble about moving bees any 

 distance, great or small. In the particular case you mention there 

 will be no trouble, even if the bees are flying every day, provided 

 no other colony stands within six feet of where the colony in 

 question now stands. Put a slanting board in front of the en- 

 trance, so that when they issue they may know that something 

 has been changed in their location. They will then examine their 

 position more carefully before leaving. 



Q. Can hives be moved from their original place, say SO or 

 100 feet, without confusing the bees? Are there any special rules 

 to be observed? 



A. If you move them before they have had a spring flight 



