MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND ANSWERS 267walls IS generally used; say two or three inches. But doubling thespace between walls willby no means double the protection.9' ^ ^"^ planning to build winter-cases 24x36 inches, each tohold two colonies. I also intend to leave the cases around thehives m the summer, as a protection from heat. Will the bees becomeconfused and enter the wrong hive, or will queens returningfrom their mating trip be liable to enter the wrong hive?A. I suppose your idea is that bees or queens may be confusedby having the two entrances in what seems to them thesame building. I don't think there will be any trouble in thatway. I have used double hives with entrances not six inchesapart, and I don't think there was any more trouble than withseparate hives.Winter Packing.— Q. Which is the best to put over the framesin winter, a solid board, a chaff cushion or a cloth, packing thesuper with leaves?A. The cushion for outdoor wintering; in a cellar it matterslittle which, if the cellar is all right and the hive has a largeentrance.Q. I have always hesitated to remove the winter protection(chafi tray, etc.) in the early spring in order to examine colonies.As you advocate to take the bees out when maple is in bloom,would this also be a good signal to go by for removing the winterpacking, or, if not, what would be?A. If you will look again you will see that it is the soft maplethat usually gives the signal for taking bees out of a cellar. Thehard maple blooms a little later. Taking bees out of a cellar is adifferent affair from taking away the' wrappings of those thathave been wintered outside. My bees have no wrappings afterbeing brought out, but some think it pays to give them protectionafter that time. At any rate, if my bees were outdoors and wellpacked, I would hesitate about unpacking them at the time of maplebloom unless I thought there was danger of their being shortof stores, and even then it might be worth while to return thepacking until about the time of fruit bloom.Winter Quarters, Removing From.—Q. How soon will it besafe to take out of their winter chaff-lined boxes and put onsummer stands, bees that are in single-walled hives? (Iowa.)A. If the bees are not to have their stands changed, and canhave a flight without removing any packing, it is better for thebees to have the warmth of the packing until it is fairly hotweather, say about the last of May in your region.