260 DR. miller's 



Value of Bees.— Q. How much is a colony of Italian bees in a 

 modern hive worth, including super, sections, etc., in the spring, 

 summer or fall? 



A. There is no hard and fast rule about this, although the 

 variation may not be so great as with box-hives. It may be from 

 $J to $10 in the spring, and $2 or $3 less in the fall. 



Q. (a) What could I afford to pay for a swarm of bees hang- 

 ing where the}' clustered, if it was the first that issued from the 

 hive ? 



(b) What would a good, strong colony be worth if it was in 

 an old box-gum? How much if it was in a movable 8-frame hive? 



A. (a) So much depends. One swarm may have two ar three 

 times as many bees as another, even when both are prime swarms. 

 In some places you might get a swarm for a dollar from someone 

 who got little from bees and in another place an experienced bee- 

 keeper might not be willing to sell such a swarm for five times as 

 much. 



(b) Again there would be a great variation. A colony in a 

 movable-frame hive might be worth in some places $7 or more, in 

 other places $5 or less. 



Ventilation. — Q. What is the best way to ventilate the hive? 



A. It doesn't matter so much just how you ventilate, so you 

 give ventilation enough. One way is to raise the hive by putting 

 a block under each one of the four corners. I generally ventilate 

 1)\ having a very large entrance and an opening at the back end 

 of the hive on top letting the super come far enough forward to 

 make the opening. 



Q. Does a hive need ventilation if in the shade? If so, would 

 it need it when the temperature gets up to 90 degrees in the 

 shade? How low can the temperature get before it needs shut- 

 ting down? 



A. Yes ; I once had combs melt down in a hive so thoroughly 

 shaded that the sun did not shine on it all day long; but there 

 was a thicket on one side and a cornfield on the other, so that 

 there was little chance for the air to stir. A colony must have 

 \cntilation to some extent always. At any time when the bees 

 are busy gathering there should be sufficient \entilation so the 

 bees will not hang out. An entrance equivalent to nine square 

 inches is as little as should be allowed, and if that cannot be had 

 otherwise, the hive should be blocked up. But 20 square inches of 

 \eiitilating space is better than nine. There is no need to make 



