FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



204 



FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



ranted in continuing it ; and then if the year 

 proves to be a good one he will get a tremen- 

 dous crop of honey. One year when we visit- 

 ed him he had secured a fair-sized yield from 

 each colony, and a poor year at that, while 

 his neighbors round about him had no sur- 

 plus, while all they did get was brood-nest- 

 fuls of honey, and notliing more. lie also 

 had his brood-chambers full; but instead of 

 being honey it was sugar syrup, and the 

 honey was in sections worth at least 12 or 15 

 cents per pound while we believe the sugar 

 syrup cost him in the hive only about 4 

 cents. Clearly, he had made a good trade. 



The feeder that is best adapted to this 

 kind of feeding is the Boardman, already 

 illustrated, because it is assumed that all 

 colonies so fed are strong, and can make a 

 proper defense at the entrance. 



We would advise one who has not tried the 

 plan to do so on a small scale. Feed up, say, 

 25 or 30 per cent of the colonies in the yard, 

 and let the others go on in their own sweet 

 way. Keep a careful account of the net 

 proceeds after deducting expenses : and if 

 those fed show a larger balance on the right 

 side of the ledger than those not fed, then 

 next year one would be warranted in feed- 

 ing the whole apiary a la Boardman. 



But, of course, it must be understood that 

 feeding should not be continued long enough 

 to force the sugar syrup into the sections, 

 as that would be a fraud on the public. 

 Nothing but the nectar of flowers ripened 

 by the bees should be sold as honey. 



WHEN ROBBERS ARE BAD, FEEDING AT 

 NIGHT. 



During the early fall of 1887 we found our 

 apiary almost on the verge of starvation, 

 the previous summer having been very 

 dry. Robbers were unusually vigilant, and 

 it was almost impossible to perform any 

 manipulation with the hives without get- 

 ting a perfect storm of robbers in the 

 brood-nest. Feeding during the day was 

 out of the question, and yet the colonies 

 must be fed in order to prepare them for 

 winter. Accordingly, to circumvent the 

 robbers we fed at night by the light of lan- 

 terns. Contrary to what we might expect, 

 the bees gave us but very little trouble by 

 flying against the lanterns. As the bees 

 took up all the feed in the feeders during 

 the night, and the robbers had had no op- 

 portunity to investigate during the feeding, 

 every thing was comparatively quiet next 

 morning, and during the following day. 

 We fed successfully in this way some three 

 or four barrels of sugar. Although I have 



recommended feeding toward night, in the 

 preceding paragraphs, in the case above 

 mentioned we fed from about 7 p.m. in 

 some cases until 10 : 30 p.m. Perhaps I 

 should also remark, that, if it is inconven- 

 ient to work at night, teed on the first rainy 

 day. Put on your rubber hat, coat, and 

 rubber boots. As long as it rains, bees will 

 not bother you. 



For particulars regarding feeding back to 

 fill out sections, see Comb Honey. 



OPEN-AIR FEEDING — ITS POSSIBILITIES. 



After what has been said by our best au- 

 thorities regarding the danger of exposing 

 sweets in the open air during the robbing 

 season it may seem foolhardy to recommend 

 the very thing that we under some condi- 

 tions condemn. But under Anger of Bees, 

 under Extractor, we show how one may 

 stop or prevent robbing by feeding bees out- 

 doors—that is to say, we bring about arti- 

 ficially, as nearly as possible, the conditions 

 of a natural honey- flow. It is well known 

 that, when bees can be kept busy in the field, 

 hives can be opened without any trouble. 

 Now, then, if we can keep the bees equally 

 busy by making them go after food at a dis- 

 tance from the yard, we shall accomplish the 

 same results. 



This outdoor feeding is attended with 

 some risk, and the reader is cautioned to go 

 over this matter very carefully. Let him fol- 

 low our instructions closely and he will expe- 

 rience no difliculty. 



A good deal depends on circumstances 

 or what one desires to accomplish by out- 

 door feeding. If he wishes to extract, or in 

 any case to put bees in such good humor 

 they will not rob, he should make a syrup 

 or honey thinner than if he intends to feed 

 up the entire yard for winter. For checking 

 the robbing tendency, a syrup two parts 

 water and one of sugar is just sweet enough 

 to draw away all would-be robbers, and yet 

 not make them crazy for it. Too sweet a 

 syrup is apt to make them wild. But weak 

 syrnp must not be made up ahead before be- 

 ing given to the bees, as it will be likely to 

 sour. If there is any likelihood that it will 

 not be taken up inside of 48 hours it had 

 better not be made weaker than one part of 

 sugar to one of water. But for the preven- 

 tion of robbing, a weaker syrup serves an 

 altogether better purpose, for it is then of 

 about the consistence of raw nectar. 



HOW TO MAKE THE OUTDOOR FEEDER. 



About the best thing we have found for 

 the purpose is an ordinary 60-lb. square tin 



