FEEDING AND FEEDERS 



202 



FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



each hive; that is, we lift up either the front 

 or back of the hive. A little i^ractice will 

 enable one to determine approximately the 

 amount of stores in each hive, provided 

 there is not too large a force of bees. In 

 that event, we must allow for a correspond- 

 ing increase. As we go over each hive we 

 mark on the cover with a piece of chalk the 

 number of pounds that will be required. If 

 the colony is a strong one we allow for a to- 

 tal of 25 lbs. if it is to be wintered out-doors; 

 / for indoors, about two-thirds that. We aim 

 to have each colony strong enough so that 

 it will require an average of about 20 lbs. for 

 each outdoor wintering. After all the hives 

 are marked up we i)roceed to the actual work 

 of feeding. 



For this late fall feeding we know of no 

 better feeder tlian the Miller. This will hold 

 at least 25 lbs. of feed at a time, and it can be 

 quickly put on and taken off without much 

 disturbance to the brood-nest. On the other 

 hand, if the colonies are not quite as strong 

 as they should 'be, so that some contraction 

 is necessary in the winter any way, it is 

 probably just as well, and perhaps even bet- 

 ter, to use the Doolittle division-board feed- 

 er holding about 6 lbs. of thick feed at a 

 time. During the season, any combs which 

 are found that are too old, or which , for some 

 reason or other, are not perfect, whether due 

 to drone-cells or irregularities, can be grad- 

 ually pushed to the outside of the brood- 

 frames; then in the fall, when it is time to 

 put in the feeder, provided the division- 

 board feeders are used, these defective 

 combs can be very easily gotten rid of with 

 a very small amount of lal)or, and with no 

 loss of brood. Furthermore, if the colonies 

 need feeding, these outside combs will not 

 contain much honey. On a cool day an out- 

 yard can be looked over very quickly, and 

 the old combs that are on the outside of the 

 brood-nest removed with very little trouble. 

 If a follower is used, the removal of one 

 comb and the follower makes room for the 

 feeder; but if the combs completely fill the 

 hives, two combs must be removed. It is 

 rather bad practice, if sealed covers are used, 

 to break the propolis sealing around the 

 covers of tlie hives after cold weather has 

 set in; but, as we said before, there are 

 many instances where the feeding must be 

 done late; and there is this advantage— that, 

 in cold weather the feeders may be put in in 

 a very short time, and with but little shaking 

 of bees from the combs that are removed. 



The best time of day for putting feed into 

 the feeder is toward the close of the after- 



noon. It is not advisable to do the work in 

 the morning or early in the day, for the rea- 

 son that the bees are always excited, and 

 robbing might be started, especially if it 

 were warm enough for the bees to fly. Right 

 here is a point in favor of the chilly-weather 

 feeding, for there is no such danger of rob- 

 bing, of course, when the bees can not fly on 

 account of the cool temperature. With the 

 cans of feed distributed at regular intervals 

 throughout the yard we have found that 100 

 colonies maybe fed in an hour s time pro- 

 viding the work is rapidly done. Every 

 thing must be right, so that no stops need be 

 made for anything. 



We fix the feed at home and carry it to the 

 yards in the regular five-gallon honey-eans, 

 as these are aboiitthe largest sized cans that 

 can be handled conveniently by one person. 

 If two were doing the feeding a larger can 

 might be used. 



While the syrup is still hot we load it into 

 the wagon, six or eight cans at a time, and 

 carry it rapidly to the yard. When we reach 

 the edge of the apiary, we take the cans, one 

 at a time, and locate them through the yard 

 where the markings on the hives show that 

 we shall need them. If the cans have good 

 strong handles we are able to carry two at a 

 time, one in each hand; but the difliculty is 

 that the handles are liable to tear loose from 

 the can at one end and drag through the 

 hand, cutting the fingers and allowing the 

 heavy can to fall on the feet. For this reason 

 we prefer to carry one can at a time in the 

 arms. If a small rope sling were used, two 

 cans could be carried without danger. 



When we are ready to commence feeding 

 we fill a large sprinkling-can, with the rose 

 removed, and then proceed at once to pour 

 the syrup into the division-board feeders in 

 every hive. Each feeder, as mentioned be- 

 fore, will hold about six pounds of thick 

 syrupy By the time we have emptied one of 

 the five-gallon cans we have reached a point 

 in the yard where a new full one is waiting 

 for us and we can proceed without stopping 

 to run for more cans. On the covers of the 

 hives are marked the number of pounds of 

 syrup which each hive is to receive. It is 

 likely that not all of the hives will need feed- 

 ing a second time, so the second day the 

 work can be done even more quickly than 

 the first time. When it is not too cool the 

 bees will have taken the syrup in one feeder 

 in 24 hours' time; but if the weather is very 

 cold they will require 48 hours; but this time 

 can be materially reduced if the syrup is 

 given hot. We would always give it hot if it 



