156 DR. miller's 



age of considerable extent of each. In Europe, rape, which be- 

 longs to the same family as mustard, is a honey-plant of great im- 

 portance. It is possible that mustard would be equally important 

 if it were cultivated to the same extent. As to quality, Root's "A, 

 B, C and X, Y, Z of Bee Culture" says: "The honey from these 

 plants is said to be very light, equal to any in flavor, and to com- 

 mand the highest price in the market.'' 



Nectar. — Q. The bee gathers nectar from the flowers, which 

 nectar, after undergoing a chemical process in the bee, becomes 

 honey. Is not nectar dumped into the comb, then evaporated and 

 becomes honey? 



A. Xo; if you were to gather nectar and put it in cells it 

 wouldn't be honey, and if the bee were to dump the nectar into 

 the cells just the same as it gets it from the flowers it wouldn't 

 be honey. It must undergo a change in the bee, although that 

 change may continue afterward. 



Noise and Bees. — Q. Would the noise made by moving the 

 bee-yard bother the bees any? Does noise of any kind bother 

 bees? 



A. Xoises in general do not trouble bees, but jarring will irri- 

 tate them. 



Nucleus. — Q. Please explain the meaning of the word nucleus. 



A. A nucleus is a baby colony. Just when a nucleus becomes 

 large enough to be called a colony is not easy to say. Perhaps I 

 might say it should be called a colony when it has more than 

 three combs covered ^^•ith bees; this in summer-time, In the 

 spring plenty of colonies have only two or three combs covered 

 with bees. 



Q. \\'ould a Danzenbaker hive answer as well as a Langstroth 

 for a nucleus hive? I use a Danzenbaker altogether. I thought 

 I would use three frames in each compartment and cut a hole 

 one-half by two inches in the bottom part of the hive for the mid- 

 dle, as the frames are closed-end frames, and I cannot put the 

 entrance anywhere else. The outer compartments will be the 

 same as described in "Fifty Years Among the Bees." 



A. Yes, if you are using the Danzenbaker hive, use it for 

 nuclei also. 



Q. Does "baby nucleus" mean simply an ordinary hive with a 

 few frames, or a small hive full of frames? 



A. The term usually applies to a nucleus in a small hive, 

 with one or two very small frames. 



Q. If you had some old nuclei you wished to strengthen by 



