The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-11-17
FALL FEEDING
OF BEES SAID
TO Be NEEDED
Strong Colonies Built Up;
Food Dwindles in
Rainy Weather
BY DR.. JOHN l.. NORRIS


Have the bcekcepCra of this
community looked into their hives
rCcC atly 10 See that The colonies
have sufficient stores of food for
winter? If not they are certainly
aC vISed TO 90 so. The sOurwood
flow of nectar this year was en-
ccptionally large with the result
thar strong colonies of bees were
built up. When the sourwood flow
ended. about the last of July,
there was practically no nectar
available until the middle of Sep
TENDER. The strong colonies which
had been built had TO subsist on
the honey in the hives and con-
siderably depleted the stores.
The fall honey flowers were
plentiful, the fields being cover
cd with goldenrod and aster. yet
cloudy, rainy weather prevented
the bees from working. This has
resulted in some colonies being
almost in Il starving condition this
early in the year and such col
onies cannot reasonably be cX-
pcctcd To survive unless fed. To
the experienced bcckeepcr feed
ing is q simple matter but the be-
ginncr often does not know what
TO feed Oh. how TO feed it.
First of all, beware of feeding
honey unless that honey was pro-
duccd under your own observa-
ton. The only thing that stands
in the way OF success with the
painstaking beekceper is the dis
ease known as foulbroOd and the
Surest way To get foulbrood into
your colonies is to feed them hon
cy not entirely free from that
disease.
The best substance to feed is
graduated sugar in proportion
two OF sugar To one of water. 1t
makes little difference whether
you mix these proportions by
bulk or weight. The amount to be
fed will of course have TO be de-
termined by the amount of store
the bees have. The probabilities
are that not over ten pounds Of
sugar to the colony will be re-
quired.
There are several kinds of feed
erS on the market but practical
beekeeperS agree that the ordi-
nary friction top can such as j.
used in the sale of sorghum, hon
ey and other SyrupS, the five
pound size, makes the best feed
Ell. Make twenty-five or thirty
small holes in the top Of the can
with a nail, fill the can. with the
sugar and water and invert it
over the escape hole in the inner
cover, leaving a small opening so
that the bees can still get thru
the escape hole. If there is no in
ner cover on the hive, the can
may be inverted onto the frames.
AT first u little of the syrup will
flow out but this soon stops and
the food only escapes as 1t IS
drawn out by the bees by sue
ton. After putting the feeder on,
place on the hive an empty super
and above this place the hive top.
The bee food is then within the
hive and cannot be reached ex-
cept through the front entrance
by bees outside the hive. Bees
this time of the year are hungry
and like anything else in the an
imal kingdom, when they are hum
gry they will rob food from 9TH
ers, 80 do not leave honey or
syrup or anything else that the
bees can consume unprotected
about the premises. One bee may
take such substance to its hive
and other bees from nearby hives
will see and follow the first bee
into it's hive and rob the entire
hive of its stores. 1t is very in
advisable to attempt to feed by
leaving food for the bees about
the grounds. 1t will result in the
robbing of the weaker colonies by
the stronger and perhaps your
neighbours colonies are stronger
than yours. The important thing
is to learn the amount of stores
of honey on hand in the hive. If
there is none or very little, the
economical beekeeper will find
way to feed.