THOUSAND ANSWERS 
29 
1 his swarm I caught late in August, so it did not have time to pro- 
cure stores for the winter. 
A. A good colony wintered outdoors will be likely to rear 
brood before February is over, if it has pollen. If no pollen is 
present, you need not expect brood till pollen can be gathered. 
Q. Will bees rear brood sooner in spring when wintered in 
the cellar or on the summer stands? 
A. They begin rearing brood, as a rule, sooner outdoors than 
in cellar. Even in the north, brood-rearing outdoors begins often, 
if not generally, in February, and in the cellar generally not till 
March. 
Q. What is the most satisfactory way of stimulating brood- 
rearing in the spring? 
A. The most satisfactory way for me is to see that the bees 
have plenty, yes, more than plenty — abundance — of stores; keep 
them well closed up, and then let them entirely alone. If your 
queens are not so good at laying a5 to do their best without the 
lash, or if your locality is such that you have good flying weather 
without any pasturage, then it may pay you to feed half a pound 
of diluted honey every other evening, or to change end for end 
the outside comb on each side. 
Brood Scattered. — Q. When you find little patches of brood 
deposited here and there in the combs, what does it indicate? 
A. Probably a failing queen. 
Brood, Spreading. — Q. What are the indications when it is 
safe and profitable to spread the brood, i. e., place an empty comb 
in the center? 
A. For some years I have been of the opinion that for me 
there is no time when it is profitable to spread brood. Early in 
the season, at the time when we want bees to build up as fast as 
possible, the bees of their own accord have all the brood they can 
cover. In that case, if brood is spread it can result only in chilled 
brood, thus hindering instead of helping the building up. I don’t 
know whether the bees of others are different or not. If at any 
time your bees are covering combs that have no brood or eggs at 
the outer part of the cluster, it ought then to be safe and profit- 
able to spread. But be sure you’re right before you go ahead. 
Brood Uneven. — Q. I have one colony of bees whose cells are 
uneven on top — some tall and some low. What is this? Some of 
the brood looks pink, but does not smell. I have a virgin queen 
in the hive. Could she be a drone-layer only, or not purely 
mated? 
