liEPORT OF THE EXTOMOLOGIST AXD BOTAXIST 193 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Experiments in Feeding Sugar Syrup for "Winter Stores. 



These experiments begun during the autumn of 1900, with four colonies of bees, 

 were continued in the autumn of 1901, with eight colonics, the extra four being the 

 progeny of the ilr.st four. All the natural stores having been removed in September, a 

 Miller feeder was placed in an empty section super, close to the top of the brood frames, 

 any part of the brood frames not covered by the feeder being covered with a propolis 

 quilt cut so as to allow the bees a passage through it. By keeping the feeder well packed 

 around, except where the bees entered, the heat is kept in and at the same time the bees 

 cannot daub themselves with the liquid. In these experiments the bees had a constant 

 supply of syrup. The syrup was made of the best granulated sugar, two parts to one 

 of water by weight. The water was first brought to a boil ; then the boiler was set 

 back on the stove, and the sugar having been poured in, the mixture was stirred until 

 all was dissolved. The syrup was supplied to the bees at about blood heat. When the 

 hives were put into winter quarters, the wooden covers were removed and replaced with 

 a chaff cushion ; the hives were also given extra ventilation at the bottom by placing at 

 the entrance a wooden block between the brood chamber and the bottom board, raisins: 

 the front of the brood chamber about 2 inches extra. In 1901, the eight colonies were 

 put into winter quarter on November 9, their average weight being 57f pounds per 

 colony ; when taken out in the spring 1902 they averaged 46;^ pounds. All came out 

 in excellent condition : there were very few dead bees about the entrance, and the 

 bottom board was quite clean, there were no signs of dysentery. 



The hives were set out on their summer stands March 22, the temperature at this 

 date being 55^ and the day, clear, bright and mild. 



For the following ten days the weather was very fine and warm ; the bees were 

 flying well and built up rapidly ; they were in excellent condition when the honey flow 

 came on. The first pollen gathered was noticed on April 1 ; many bees were seen 

 before this date gathering sap from maple tree stumps that had been freshly cut, also 

 wherever a maple had been injured. During the summer each colony gave one swarm 

 and made on an average 41 i pounds of [honey, this being considerably below the yield 

 n 1901 ; but, considering the damp cool season, the results are quite satisfactory. 



Experiments with Brood Foundation of Different Sizes. 



These experiments have been continued with the addition of full drawn combs. 



(1.) Full drawn combs ; 



(2.) Full sheets of foundation ; 



(3.) Half sheets of foundation ; 



(4.) Starters or strips of about one inch. 



For this experiment four swarms caught on July 2 were used, weighing 5| pounds 

 each. Each hive contained only one of the above size of foundation in the brood 

 chamber, but full sheets of foundation in the super. Each hive was weighed daily 

 during the season to ascertain the gain or loss ; notes were also taken on the way the 

 bees built up in the brood chamber. 



The results are very similar to those of 1901. The hive with strips of foundation 

 (4) gave the largest return. In this instance the bees started to work not in the frames 

 but in the sections in the super, which had full sheets of foundation, sooner than the 

 bees in the hives Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Queen excluders were put on to prevent the queen 

 going up into the supers. In the hive that had half sheets (3) and in the one with full 

 sheets (2) the bees appeared to work about evenly in the brood chamber and in the super. 

 In the hive that had full drawn combs (1) the queen began to lay eggs at once and the 

 bees filled up the brood chamber first, a notable fact was that in the hives that had half 

 sheets (3), as well as in those that had starters in the brood chamber (4), the bees built 

 worker comb as far down as the foundation went, and below that they built very 

 unevenly ; in many instances the frames could not be lifted out without the combs break- 

 ing down and some of these combs were more than half drone cells. Not bein<i- wired 

 16—13 



