MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND AxXSWERS 155A. For more than 20 years I have moved bees every fall, andnever had any trouble. But I moved them only five miles or less,In the fall the combs are heavier with honey than in the spring,and there are also more bees. So you will see that there must bea little more care against breaking combs, as well as a little morecare to have plenty of ventilation. Aside from this you ought tohave no more trouble in fall than spring. If you can have yourchoice as to time, it will be well to wait till as much after thefirst of October as you can, for the cooler it is, the less danger ofsuffocation, although, of course, if you wait for severe winterweather there would be danger of the combs becoming brittlewith the cold, and breaking.Q. I want to move my bees about 40 miles by waterway to abetter location, as the bees are mostly wild and dark. Which isthe best way to close the hive and not smother the bees?A. Use wire-cloth for ventilation. To close the entrance of ahive, take a piece of wire-cloth as long as the inside width of theentrance and 2 or 3 inches wide. Bend it at right angles, and thencrowd it into the entrance so it will be wedged fast. But that willnot answer if your entrances are like mine, 2 inches deep. Inthat case take a strip of wire-cloth about 2inches wider than thedepth of your entrance, and as long as the inside width of theentrance. Double over the edge three-quarters of an inch, or aninch, and crease it down flat. Place the wire-cloth against theentrance with the folded edge down at the bottom-board, andnail over the upper part of the wire-cloth a strip of lath with asmall nail at each end. If the weather is cool, or if the bees bemoved at night, this ventilation at the entrance may be enough.If more is needed, make a frame the same size as the top of thehive, cover it with wire-cloth, and fasten it on top of the hivewith screws. If necessary, the cover can be put about 2 inchesabove this, a block at each corner holding up the cover, beingfastened with hive-staples. Even this ventilation, if the weatherbf hot and the bees kept on the way long, water should be sprayedon them from time to time.Mustard.—Q. Do you consider mustard a good honey yielder?If so, how does it compare with smartweed in the yield of honeyand quality?A. Mustard is a good honey-plant. Just how it compares inyield and quality with smartweed (by which you probably meanheartsease) could be better told by someone having an equal acre-