THOUSAND ANSWERS 
159 
continued through the winter it is very likely there would be 
more or less loss of queens. A safer plan would be to use wire- 
cloth instead of a queen-excluder, so that there would be no 
communication between the bees below and above. Of course, an 
entrance to the outside would have to be allowed to each of the 
nuclei. If outdoors, these entrances should be very small, and the 
entrance to the lower colony would need be less than with no 
entrances above. 
Observation Hive. — Q. I have an observatory hive in which 1 
expect to put bees this spring. How shall I get them started? 
A. There’s no trick about it; merely start as you would in any 
other hive, by putting in the comb of brood with bees and queen. 
To prevent the bees going back to the old home, set the hive in a 
dark cellar about four days. 
Q. I have Italians and the “blacks,” as I call them. I bought 
an observation hive for one frame and I took out one frame of 
comb with brood and enough bees to cover the brood well, but 
the next day the bees came out of the observation hive and into 
the old hive, and there was not a single bee left. What was the 
trouble? 
A. There is nothing unusual in the case. Take a frame of 
brood with plenty of bees to cover it, and without any precau- 
tions put it in a "new hive, and the proper thing on the part of 
the bees is to go back to their old home. If you had fastened 
the bees in for about three days they would have staid. If you 
had taken bees that had been queenless for three days or more, 
you would have had less trouble. If you had taken the queen 
with them, returning her after two or three days, more of the 
bees would have staid. But you probably took them from a hive 
with a good, strong queen, and they very properly resented such 
treatment. It is a good plan to remove the queen after a few 
days, as it gives you the opportunity of watching the rearing of 
young queens by the bees. 
Q. Do the sides of an observation hive have to be covered 
with some opaque substance, or will the bees allow the light to 
penetrate their domicile at all times? 
A. It is usual to keep the hive darkened when not under ob- 
servation, but not absolutely necessary. The bees will daub 
more propolis on the glass if the light be continuous. They will 
also worry more. 
Q. What is the best location for an observation hive? Would 
an attic with a northern exposure be best, or what is the best? 
