250 DR. miller's 



tiire collects overhead and drops down upon the cluster. Cnver- 

 ing up warm helps prevent this. 



Q. What makes bees sweat in the cellar in winter? Mine are 

 all wet. I put them into the cellar just as they were in the sum- 

 mer. 



A. The moisture from the breath of the bees settles on the 

 cold walls of the hive, just as we say a pitcher sweats when a 

 pitcher of cold water stands in a hot and moist time and the 

 moisture of the air settles on the outside of the pitcher. It is a 

 bad thing to have this moisture settle on the hive-cover, for then 

 the drops fall on the cluster of bees. The matter may be helped 

 . by enlarging the entrance, by allowing a little crack at the top 

 for the moisture to escape, or by having some kind of warm pack- 

 ing on top. 



Tar Paper. — Q. Is tarred paper injurious to bees and lioney? 



A. Not in general. If honey were kept for a time directly in 

 contact with paper strmigly impregnated with tar, it would 

 probably hurt the flavor, but wrapping tarred paper around a hive 

 would not produce any such result. 



Q. Would it pay to wrap hives in tar paper for spring pro- 

 tection? I see some favor it, while others do not. Why is there 

 this wide difference? 



A. There is a wide difference in climate. While it might not 

 pay in the far South, it might pay well in the far North. Locali- 

 ties differ. Your apiary may be in an exposed place, where the 

 wrapping mentioned may be of great service in warding off the 

 chilly blasts of spring, while another apiary a mile away may be 

 in such a warm corner that the wrapping is not so much needed. 



Q. How can I protect my bees after putting them out of the 

 cellar, with tar-paper. And how should it be put, when taken 

 off, and what is accomplished for the benefit of the bees? 



A. Whatever protection of the kind is given should be given 

 just as soon as possible after the bees are taken out, as it is likely 

 to be colder then than afterward. The time for taking off de- 

 pends upon the weather; no harm to leave it on until fruit-bloom, 

 or even till the first bloom is seen on clover. The advantage is 

 that the bees are kept warmer, especially cold nights. Just how 

 much that advantage is, it would be hard to say, no reports being 

 yet given as to comparative results with and without protection. 



Tartaric Acid. — Q. Will you tell us the result of your experi- 

 ence in mi.xing tartaric acid or other acids with sugar syrup for 



