MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

260 DR. miller'sValue of Bees.—Q. How much is a colony of Italian bees in amodern hive worth, including super, sections, etc., in the spring,fall?summer orA. There is no hard and fast rule about this, although thevariation may not be so great as with box-hives. It may be from$J to $10 in the spring, and $2 or $3 less in the fall.Q. (a) What could I afford to pay for a swarm of bees hangingwhere the}' clustered, if it was the first that issued from thehive ?(b) What would a good, strong colony be worth if it was inan old box-gum? How much if it was in a movable 8-frame hive?A. (a) So much depends. One swarm may have two ar threetimes as many bees as another, even when both are prime swarms.In some places you might get a swarm for a dollar from someonewho got little from bees and in another place an experienced beekeepermight not be willing to sell such a swarm for five times asmuch.(b) Again there would be a great variation. A colony in amovable-frame hive might be worth in some places $7 or more, inother places $5 or less.Ventilation.—Q. What is the best way to ventilate the hive?A. It doesn't matter so much just how you ventilate, so yougive ventilation enough. One way is to raise the hive by puttinga block under each one of the four corners. I generally ventilate1)\ having a very large entrance and an opening at the back endof the hive on top letting the super come far enough forward tomake the opening.Q. Does a hive need ventilation if in the shade? If so, wouldit need it when the temperature gets up to 90 degrees in theshade? How low can the temperature get before it needs shuttingdown?A. Yes ; I once had combs melt down in a hive so thoroughlyshaded that the sun did not shine on it all day long; but therewas a thicket on one side and a cornfield on the other, so thatthere was little chance for the air to stir. A colony must have\cntilation to some extent always. At any time when the beesare busy gathering there should be sufficient \entilation so thebees will not hang out. An entrance equivalent to nine squareinches is as little as should be allowed, and if that cannot be hadotherwise, the hive should be blocked up. But 20 square inches of\eiitilating space is better than nine. There is no need to make