MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND ANSWERS 149two miles—distance counts for a good deal, and if your source ofsupply is beyond that there will no doubt be a gain to movethe bees accordingly.Lumber for Hives.—Q. Is there any special lumber whichshould not be used in hives?A. Basswood is bad, owing to its tendency to twist and warp.White pine is generally used, and also redwood, cypress andcedar.Maples.—Q. What do you think of a locality from 1,000 to2,000 feet above sea level, where there is a large quantity of maplesugar produced every year? Would you consider it a good localityfor beekeeping?A. The maple is a valuable honey-tree. It comes early, however,and the honey secured from it is mostly used in brood-rearing.The field-force is not yet strong enough to gather muchmore than will supply the daily needs of the colony. So while itis of value in securing a strong force of bees, the questionwhether the locality is a good one depends upon what comeslater. If there are plenty of later sources the maple will be agreat help; if nothing comes after, there is little prospect ofsurplus.Q. Do bees get much pollen from the "sugar" or hard maple?What color is it?A. They do in this locality It might be called light yellowish,with a tinge of green in it; possibly more green than yellow.Q. How would it do to draw sap from maple trees in bucketsand feed to the bees in early spring to start brood-rearing?Would this not be better than sugar syrup?A. I don't know that maple-sugar syrup is any -better thancane-sugar syrup. Likely, however, it is just as good. Careshould be taken about feeding it when it is not warm enough forbees to fly.Q. I have some maple sugar that has been damp so it is unfitfor market. Would this make good food for .bees?A. It may be profitably fed next spring after bees are flying,to be used up in rearing brood; but don't give it to the bees forwinter food.Martins (See Bee Martins.)May Disease.—Q. I have one colony of Italian bees in my yardthat is dying from some cause. The adult bees are dying by thehundreds. They come dragging out of the hive, and sometimescrawl part way up the front; others fall off the runboard. They