166 DR. miller's 



pollen in sections, we must avoid the three conditions mentioned. 

 I rarely have any trouble in that way, and I use 8-frame hives 

 with frames 9li inches deep, and have the sections filled full with 

 worker-foundation. 



Poplars. — Q. Arc poplars good honey-flowers? They are 

 plentiful here. 



A. Yes; but the word poplar is used for different trees in dif- 

 ferent places. What you call poplar in Virginia is probably 

 Liriodendron tulipifera, which is also called tulip tree and white- 

 wood. It is a good honey-tree, although the honey is dark, I 

 think. 



Porticos. — Q. Of what use is the portico on some styles of 

 hives ? 



A. It is supposed to protect from the wind any bees inclined 

 to take a promenade on the alighting-board. It also furnishes a 

 nice protection for spiders, and is not much used nowadays. 



Pound Packages. — Q. Could you start a colony with one pound 

 of bees and a queen? 



A. Yes; if started early enough in a good season it will make 

 a good colony. 



Propolis^ — Q. Is there any wax in beeglue or propolis? 



A. No, and yes. In pure propolis, of course, there is no wax; 

 but in propolis scraped from sections or frames — indeed as bees 

 use it in general — there is more or less wa.x, as you will find out if 

 you will melt it. 



Q. Should the wa.x and propolis between the frames be taken 

 off every time the hives are examined? 



A. Xo; you are doing unusually well if you attend to it once 

 a year. 



Q. Is there any way of getting the propolis off of fence sep- 

 arators besides the tiresome way of scraping? Will boiling mjure 

 the glued joints ? 



A. I don't know of any better way than to scrape. Boiling 

 in water would dissolve the glue, and would not be a success in 

 removing the propolis. 



Q. Is there any sale for propolis, and if so, tell me where I 

 can sell it. I have heard it is worth quite a bit, but never could 

 find out where to sell it, or how much it is worth. 



A. I very much doubt if there is any market for propolis. If 

 you have propolis that has been saved from scraping frames, sec- 

 tions, etc., you may find it a paying job to melt the beeswax out 

 of it. 



