MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

142 DR. miller'sher before I send for the new one? I have heard there is lessdanger of having the queen Icilled when she is introduced if thecolony has been without a queen for some time. Should thequeen be clipped before she is introduced?A. You will probably do as well to wait until some time inJune. Better not kill the old queen till the new one arrives.There may be considerable delay, and it is not well for the colonyto be too long queenless. You can have the same, or greater, advantageby keeping the new queen caged in the hive two or threedays before allowing the bees of the colony access to the candy toliberate her. Most beekeepers nowadays prefer to have queensclipped, and most of those who sell queens will clip them beforesending, without extra charge, if you so request.Jouncer.—Q. What is a jouncer?A. A frame-work upon which a super rests, allowing the beesto be shaken out of the super by jouncing the ends of the jouncerup and down alternately. It has not proven a success witheveryone.Krainer Bees.—Q. Have the Krainer bees from Krain, Austria,ever been imported to this country? Are they more hardy thanItalians?A. You have probably heard and read quite a little aboutCarniolian bees. Well, Krain is merely the German word for Carniola.I'm not sure whether the claim for greater hardiness hasbeen well established, but some think well of a cross with Italians.Labels.—Q. How do you stick labels on tin cans? I don'tseem able to make them stick.A. The favorite way is to have the label pass clear aroundthe can and overlap, in which case any common flour paste willanswer. Flour paste with water sticks to tin. A\'iping the can offwith a dry cloth to remove the greasy substance left in tinningwill help make labels stick.Larvse.—Q. Is there any way of determining accurately theage of the larva, or, in other words, how long it has been inprocess of development, without waiting for it to be sealed over?A. Nothing very definite. In general terms it maj^ be saidthat the larva makes most of its growth in the last two days ofits five days of larval existence; and I think it doesn't cover thebottom of the cell till after it is three days old.Q. At what time and in what way are the young bees fed?A. They are fed by the nurse-bees for five days or more fromthe time the larva hatches out of the egg until it is sealed over.