Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-03-03
Spring Management of Bees.
ByJ. W, Rouse, Mexico, Mo,

hNit iilso hAifto 1aNA was wy
poor stores for ~wintering and many
with not enough to last them
through the winter, There was a
large amount of honey dew last
season, and while the bees can live
on the stuff il they can have a flight
every few days, if confined to the
hive for as much as twenty days at
a time, it is very likely they will
take diarrhea and die. In the last
two days bees have been out some,
and some of them spot the snow
very bad. Should the weather con-
tinue to be cold for any considerable
length of time it would cause the
death of many colonies.
The last three seasons have been
very poor for the gathering of
honey, but the outlook and pros
poets + very ilattering sc far this
winter for a bountiful crop the com
ing season, so that those having
bees should take good care of them.
There is likely to be great mortality
amongst the bees, hence they that
come through will likely be worth
considerable to their owners. Should
any be short of stores, they should
be fed by dissolving granulated sugar
with hot water, not too thin. The
bees can use it thin, but it will not
90 any farther with them than it
would if thicker; as if too thinsfor
their use they would go to work and
evaporate the water.
If the strip is cooked great care
should be taken not to scorch it, as
that would likely be death to the
bees using it; it could be used if
scorched in the summer time but
not in the winter. To feed strip to
bees is best done out Of a bee feeder
made for the purpose, though a pan
or dish can be used; after the strip
is in the pan or dish, a cheese or
very porous cloth should be spread
over it and the bees can take the
feed as the cloth settles down, and
thus save any of them from getting
drowned. To give the strip to bees
if a movable frame hive is used, the
surplus arrangement can be remov-
ed from the upper chamber and the
vessel containing the feed placed
lover the bees, and a little should be
poured down over them when Civ
ing it the first time, so as to get
them started to taking it; after that
they will work all right. II the
bees are in a box hive, if a cap is
used it can be raised up and the
feed placed under it with same in
struction to get the bees started to
take the feed, but if neither of the
kinds of hives are used the feed
might be placed under the cluster
by raising the hive up and showing
it inside and then let the hive down
again. The feeding in the inside is
to be done so that the colony need
ing the feed will get it, and to KEEP
from starting robber bees from Other
colonies, as if they should get start,
ed they would likely clean up the
feed and all the stores that the col
ony being fed had, too and thus
cause them to starve. Great care
should be taken not to starve the
robbers. Two or three pounds at g
time every few days will be sui
lfcient; Of course bees could only
take the feed when it was warn
enough for them to get around.
There are many persons that sup
pose bee keepers can and do feeC
sugar to their bees and then take
the product as honey. We know o
one person, signing as Lizzie Cot
ton, that sells a book along with {
hive, and recommends to feed sugar
to the bees when it costs eight cents
and then sell the product at fifteer
cents. We know of some of hel
dupes that bought her book anc
hive but they got left badly in the
operation. We do not know o
J their trying the feed operation bu'
they would have got left badly oni
if they had, as bees do not make
honey but only rather nectar from
!, the flowers and ripen or thicken il
by condensation. II sugar strip il
fed to them and then taken away
from them it would still be only
sugar sirup and not honey, ane
purchasers would soon discover tina
they could obtain sugar strip cheap
er and would buy no more of it
besides there are only few persons
that could even feed sugar strip tt
the bees and then get half or even ;
fourth it of away again, as the bees
would consume the most of it II
brood rearing.
Again many persons think tina
honey or stuff called honey can bt
made. Such is not true at all, this
lis, a mixture might be made anG
one not knowing what honey il
might be fooled in the belief that i
was honey, but it is just as good al
honey, and no one can tell the diff
ference, as many affirm, why, oil
Univ do mot fhoca narsops frof !