Nebraska advertiser., 1868-04-23
From the CultiVstOr and Country Gentleman.
Feed Flour 90 your Bees.

MEssRs. EDIToRs:-We are surprised
10 see that one of your correspondents
finds il difficult to persuade bis bees TO
work on rye -four in the open air, before
the blossoms appear. Our experience has
been Of a different character. As soon
as the weather premits the bees to hy and
discharge their accumulated feces, they
are ready TO commence breeding with
vigor; and experience demonstrates the
advantage Of now beginning stimulative
feeding, 10 encourage the spread of
brood. II is not the abundance of old
stores of honey, or pollen, that tempts to
early breeding Though their scarcity
will prvent it, unless the deficiency is
supplied but it is the sense of something
coming in that encourages the bees 70
hasten matters. Therefore, we supply
them with this encouragement; and where
the hives have plenty Of honey, it is an
open question with US whether in pleasant
weather the -four alone is not all the
stimulus required. Let US tell your readers
how we feed it. AS soOn as the bees
begin to fly freely in the spring, we pre-
pare one or two boxes, say Is by 20 inch
es and 6 inches deep, Zoe use old covers
of hiyes.) We put a good layer Of clean
straw in the bottom, spread the -four on
the straw, and set the boxes in some
quiet sunny place, in or near the apiary.
To start the beestO work, we put a fen
drops of honey or sugar syrup on a comb
in each box; once started, they will keep
at il until the blossoms appear. The
bees quickly " get the hang of the opeT-
alton" and il is amusing to see them
collecting the aour-the boxes being
black with bees, and the whole air re-
sounding with their joyous hum. They
molsten the -four with honey from their
stomachs. and take il up with their jaws
and front legs; then, lowering in the air
over the box, transfer it to the baskets on
their hind legs, then away to the hive.
We had them thus at work (Italians)
one bright still day this month, when the
thermometer wal at 269! To-day
March l2th) was constantly showery,
yet with the covers over the boxes prop.
ped open to admit them, they have carried
in fully ten pounds of -four, working un-
till il was dark. This suggests putting
the boxes in a shed opening to the south,
if such a one is at hand, where they can
wOrk under cover. Our only fear has
sometimes been that they might carry in
TOO much -four, but the combs show no
especial accumulation Of it, and it is
evident that they use it almost as fast as
gathered.
We will close by stating that rye
being scarce in this vicinity, we have
used ordinary wheat -four solely, for the
last few years, and though we should
prefer the rye where it could be as read
lily obtained, yet we find the wheat flour
to answer finely. A correspondent of
the Bee Journal RECOMMENDS mixing
odt meal with X.
OF course, where this stimulative feed.
ing is practiced the hives shOuld-be care
fully watched if the supply of honey from
the blossom is retarded, to guard against
their getting Ou! of stores as they will
consume their honey much more rapidly
when breeding is accelerated. But the
advantage in shape of earlier swarms,
and a larger force to gather honey, am
ply repay all trouble and the slight Ok.
pense. L. L. LANoswoRTH g. Son.