MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND ANSWERS 9Baits for Swarms.—Q. A neighbor places common boxes upin trees and catches stray swarms. Is there anything a personcan put in a hive that will bait a swarm to the box placed in atree?A. Yes, you can put brood-combs in it. If the combs have beenused but are still sweet and clean the bees will like them betterthan any empty hive.Banats.—Q. Is the Banat bee a new race of bees broughtfrom some other country, or is it just a cross with some of ournative bees? Would they be hardy enough for Minnesota?A. It is counted a separate race. I know very little about them,but I suppose they are equally as hardy as Italians, and perhapsas good workers.Barrels.—Q. Where can I obtain barrels for extracted honey?A. Second-hand alcohol or syrup barrels are best and couldprobably be obtained from drug stores, groceries and wholesalemedicine firms.Basswood.—Q. (a) I have just ordered some basswood trees.How close can I plant them together?(b) Will they grow well in this climate; that is, hot anddry in the summer-time, subject to strong winds in winter, nosnow, and temperature never falling very low?(c) How long will it be before they yield nectar to amountto anything?(d) How much water do they need when growing? (California.)A. (a) When they get to be large trees, 20 to 25 feet isclose enough. It is not a bad plan to plant only half as far apartas you want the trees finally; then when half grown, to cut outthree-fourths of them. The danger is that you will be too tenderheartedto cut them at the right time; but you will not have somuch nectar from the large trees that are too crowded. You willeasily see, however, that up to the time they get half their fullgrowth there would be a gain in nectar by having the largernumber of trees.(b) I don't know. One would think that conditions are allright; yet I don't remember that anyone has reported plantingbasswoods on a large scale in California.(c) Not before 8 to 12 years in this locality; but things movefaster in your pushing climate.(d) At a guess, I should say the same amount as crops ingeneral, particularly other trees.