Year: 1868




ing colonies? They should be housed where
they can keep themselves and their brood
warn until the weather admits Of their
flying. While the bees are IN their winter
quarter, if they are scarce OF honey, they
should be fed on sugar candy, (white is the
hsstl y placad between the combs, in tho
cluster of bees; they will remain quietly
clustered on II, eating as they need, and
save their honey without being excited as
they invariably are when feed any liauid
sweet. If the bees are in box hive, keep
it inverted and place the sticks of candy,
one, two or three pounds, between the ends
Of the combs vhelc the bees will collect or
it, will now describe the mode Of feeding
these when set on their summer stand.
FEED BOX.
Make as many feed boxes as there are
colonies to feed. Take a board oneshalf
inch thick ten or twelve inchei long, and
FIVE or six incher wide; nail all around this
| strips one and half or two inches wide,
thus making feed box one or one and
half inches deep. Melt some rosin and
beeswax together, taking equal quantities
Of each, and pour it around in the corners
of the box TO make it honey tight Into
this box pour the liquid food, an6 spread
u few shavings or cut straw over the sur





Ii the colony is weak aud the combs built
only part way down, the feed box might BE-
inserted under the combs and something
placed beneath it to raise it up against them
where t'.e bees might have the most easy
access to it; but if the hive be full o! combs
set the feed box on top of it, Grst boring
holes in the hohey or top board TOR the oaes
to pass up Set a cap or tox over this to
make sure that no bee can get at the honey
except by coming up through the hive
When 1rst commencing to feed in this wav
>treak a little of the food in and about the
holes in the top of the hive to coax the bees
up. 1t only little is to BE- fed it could be
done nicely by pouring it into the empty
combs and placing it where it would con.
veniently accessible But this is too slow
process wh-n there are many to feed. Some
have fed by saturating bread with honey
or maple molasses and placing it among the
bees. There are worse plans than this as
the bees would seem to cat portion of the
bread as bee-hreaa.


WHEN 10 FEET.
Always feed in the evening after the bees
cease flying, that other bees ufay not get
taste. 1t will generally be all used up
bv the next morning, and robber bees will
not be tempted by the odor.
When commencing 20 feed he determined
thot Herr shall not be partical Of honey
get taste Of 1t; and that no bee shall 40 atso
the hire except at the small hole ,ohers the
bees usually 90 out and tn BY strictly OBJ
serving this rule, bees may be fed almost
any amount with almost entire certainty
that no robbery will be committed


Never feed all of your bees together out
side their hives, as the ones that need the
least generally get the most, and the neigh
boring bees for mile or more around, will
find the food nearly as soon as your own;
and it cxcites to robbery. for the bees will
rush in great numbers to obtain the honey,
and when this is consumed they will APP
, proacll every hive in the yard and vigorous
ly test their strength to prevent adini,ance,
and If any one proves inadequate to the
task. it is soon dTspossessed Of all it's stores.


OBJECTS TO BE AIMED AT IN FEEDING


The first is to save the bees from starva.
ton. If bees are fed in winter they must
leave thir cluster to get it when they
should be entirely quiet, This puts them
in an abnormal condition and il noc
good Besides. il the weather is very cold
or the colony weak. they cannot leave ths
cluster to get 1t. and will consequently starvc
when there is nenty of honey by them
Early spring feeding is liable to the same
objections When feeding is resorted to,
bees act as though they we're collecting hon
ey from natural sources, being aroused to
action they eat freely themselves and rear
greater quantity of brood which requires
much honey for their sustenance. 40 that if
bees are thus aroused by feeding. then cease
for time. They will continue to feed their
brood until their store is exhausted; then if
honey IS not to be had from flowers for N
week or ten days, they will either starve in
their hives, or being driven to desperation,
will leave and attempt to enter some other
one, where they will be mercilessly massa.
cred. They often leave even when they
have pound or two of honey This Away
occurs in very fine days, and think is in
part occasioned by annoyance from robber
bees, who attempt to enter their hives. II
there comes very warm day in the last Of
March or on the first OF April. in spring
when bees a;e not well supplied. [ always
feel rtain of being accosted, when 20 on
the street on the following day, with the
inquiry, from bee keepers OF the surrounds
ing country why did the bees all Como
out of one Of my hives yesterday, and at.
| tempt to enter another and were kllled2'
or why uid swarm OF some persons
bees come Yesterday and attempt TO- enter
one of MY hives"


When a colony thus attempts to decamp
they should be pnt back into their hive and
then fed regularly every, evening until they
can collect honey from flowers. 1t will add
to the safety of the hive if the queens
wings are cropped so that she cannot fly.
or to have an entrance regulator applied,
(sce Entrance Regulator. If feeding il
commencing in the spring 1t mus he een~
tinued until the bees can collect their own
forage. But at this time feed sparingly,
say half pound or more daily. IF too
much il fed they may gil so many Of their
cells with honey as not to leave sufficient
room for brood, and abundance of brood,
in the spring is more valuable than the
came combs filled with foney; 80 that in
some cases in noveab!e comb hives when
the breeding chambers is TOO much filed
with honey, it is best to lift out some Of ,he
full combs and set empty ones In their
place.


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