FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



199 



FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



bill, as cxi;laiiR(l, they have a tendency to 



be unduly stimulative — that is, make the 



bees restless during winter. It seems to be 



generally agreed that, dollar for dollar, 



granulated sugar, when converted into tirst- 



i class syrup, is as cheap a food for the bees 



I as can be had ; and not only cheap, but eom- 



I paratively safe. Unbleached West India 



crystallized cane sugar of a pale straw color 



is said to be excellent — but we do not find 



it as good, nor any cheaper. 



HOW TO 3rAKE THE SYRUP. 



Something will depend on whether the 

 bees are to be fed for the purpose of induc- 

 ing brood-rearing or to give a supply for 

 winter. For stimulating, a syrup made of 

 one part of sugar to one of water by bulk is 

 about right. If the water is hot the sugar 



Iwill dissolve more readily. For a winter 

 food given early in the fall the proportion 

 should be about two parts of sugar to one of 

 ] water. For late feeding, just before cold 

 / weather comes on, the ratio should be about 

 I two and a half to one. When made as 

 thick as this the syrup is liable to go back 

 to sugar to some extent, and sometimes it is 

 necessary to put in about a teaspoonfid of 

 tartaric acid to every 20 lbs. of sugar. Others 

 find it better to use honey. The proportion 

 then of honey will be about one-third by 

 bulk of the amount of water used. In our 

 own practice we have never found it neces- 

 sary to use either honey or acid. 



A syrup made by mixing sugar and water 

 in equal parts does not necessarily require 

 heat. The water may be poured into a re- 

 ceptacle cold, and sugar stirred in until the 

 volume of the sugar equals that of the water. 

 Tlie stirring will have to be continued until 

 the sugar is dissolved. If there is any quan- 

 tity to be mixed in that way, an ordinary 

 honey-extractor serves as a very excellent 

 agitator. The machine is filled nearly half 

 full of water, when the sugar is stirred in 

 little by little while the reel is being turned. 

 It will have to be revolved until the sugar is 

 all dissolved. After a vigorous turning Of 

 the crank, even after the sugar is thorough- 

 ly mixed, there will be a number of small 

 air-bubbles. These will all disai>pear if the 

 syruj) is allowed to stand for a while. When 

 the proportion of the sugar is two to one or 

 two and a half to one, it is advisable to use 

 hut or boiling water. 



Syrup can be mixed in a common wash- 

 boiler where heat is employed. In tliat case 

 the boiler is put on the stove and filled with 

 the requisite quantity of water. After it has 



come to a boil, the sugar is slowly stirred in, 

 a little at a time. While on the stove the 

 mixture must be kept thoroughly stirred to pre- 

 vent the undissolved sugar from settling on 

 the bottom and burning. Care should be 

 taken about that, because burnt sugar or 

 syrup is liable to be fatal to the bees. 



In many cases syrup has to be prepared at 

 the outyard. Or perhaps the good wife ob- 

 jects to having her stove messed up. While 

 an oil or gasoline stove will heat the water, 

 either one is very slow. The Hutchinson 

 brothers use and recommend a good-sized 

 common galvanized wash-tub, such as can 

 be obtained at any hardware store at a com- 

 paratively low price. This is placed on four 

 or five stones of suitable size outdoors when 

 the right proportion of water is poured into 

 the tub. A fire is then built under, and 

 when the water comes to a boil the granu- 

 lated sugar is slowly stirred in. After it is 

 all dissolved, the fire should be scraped out 

 from under the tub to prevent overheating 

 or burning. This work should be done on 

 a cool or rainy day when the bees are not fly- 

 ing; otherwise one would have a mess of rob- 

 bing on his hands. 



FEEDING TO STIMULATE nROOD-KEARING. 



During spring or summer we may use a 

 cheaper grade of sugar, if we happen to have 

 it on hand, or cheap off grades of honey that 

 would ordinarily be unsalable. If honey,* 

 we w^ould thin it down slightly with warm 

 water; but if the sweet has to be purchased, 

 then, as w^e have already said, we would 

 recommend only granulated sugar, for the 

 reason that it is just as cheap as any other 

 sw^eet, and the very best. Nuclei, as a rule, 

 require stimulative feeding before or after 

 the honey-flow, in order to make them do 

 their very best, for a queen will seldom lay 

 much after the honey season unless the bees 

 are fed a certain amount daily. Where col- 

 onies 1-ick suflicient strength for the harvest 

 it is customary to practice stimulative feed- 

 ing. 



FEEDERS. 



There have been hundreds of feeders in- 

 vented and put on the market. Some of 

 them are very complicated, and the more so 

 the less useful. If one desires to keep down 

 his investment he may use common tin pans. 

 These can be placed in the upper story of 

 the hive, and filled witli syrup. On top of 

 the syrup should be laid carefully a strip of 

 cheese-cloth that has been dampened in 



* If the honey is purchased it sliould be boiled for 

 at least 30 minutes, to kill any possible germs of 

 disease. 



