1?4 



GLEAN IKGS IK BEE CULTURE. 



April 



them cool. Just at nooi I drove into my own yard. 

 The family had already commenced their midday 

 meal; but before they finished it, the bees were all 

 flying from their new stands. After Ihe severe jolt- 

 ing they had received, it was not without satisfac- 

 tion I noted the absence of honey escaping from the 

 hives, and other signs of miscarriage. When I had 

 eaten my dinner I went at once to the bee-yard, and, 

 behold, they were already bringing in loads of pol- 

 len. I call that pretty quick work, for they had been 

 liberated just about half an hour, and in that time 

 had found the blossoms, gathered the pollen, and re- 

 turned to their new homes. On examination, a few 

 combs were found broken from the frames; but 

 these were easily fastened, and no material damage 

 was done. One colony was found rather short of 

 stores, and I proceeded to feed it with some honey 

 and water, the rinsings of a honey-barrel that had 

 stood empty for a year, aside from the honey that 

 remained candied on its sides and bottom; and in 

 one week I had killed nearly all the bees in that 

 hive. The trouble was finally stopped by extracting 

 all their stores and giving them sealed honey, when 

 they at once began to get better; and by the middle 

 of July they began to gather surplus. 



In my next I will tell you how much honey I got, 

 and also what I think of honey-boards. 



Adams, Wis., March 10, 1882. J. L. Woi-fenden. 



Why, friend Vv., I can not see how the 

 honey and water you ted those bees could 

 have killed them, unless it had soured bad- 

 ly ; and even then I should not have sup- 

 posed it would have killed them while they 

 could fly every day. If honey was coming 

 in from the fields, why should you feed them 

 at all?— Thanks for report of your trip, and 

 kind words in regard to our friend George 

 Grimm. 



ANOTHER BEE-FEEDER. 



OUU FRIEND A. C. KENDEL IN THE FIELD. 



ENCLOSED you will find a drawing of the latest ef 

 the late bee-feeders — a shallow covered tin box, 

 9 inches long or more, about 3 inches wide, % 

 inches high, or as high as will readily push into the 

 entrance of any hive in the apiary. On one end, cut 

 a 1 to Hi inch hole; solder the inverted top of a 

 1-quart Mason fruit-jar, with a corresponding hole 

 cut in it. At the other end, leave a square opening, 

 about 3 inches long by width of feeder, into which, 

 at half its depth, solder a false bottom of coarsely 

 perforated tin, with one end turned up to be even 

 with the top, to prevent bees crawling in, and also 

 to let air in gradually. Set the hives as nearly level 

 as can be, and all is ready for feeding. 



Use your own favorite 

 food, whatever that may 

 be, only it should be 

 rather thin. In using 

 this feeder, no fears of 

 robbing need be enter- 

 tained; therefore,if some 

 fragrant extracted honey 

 be added after boiling 

 this syrup, all the better. 

 During cool or cold weath- 

 er, the food should be a. r. KEXDEL'sFRriT-jAn feed- 

 given as warm as the jars '■^^' ^^^.I^k^iJo/bXo"?^'"' 

 can be held in the bare 'patext." 



'8581 i 

 OE "A ON 

 iN3i\fd 



hand. After filling the jars with warm syrup, ad- 

 just the rubber carefully, and screw the feeder on 

 as precisely as one would put up a can of fruit; in- 

 vert the whole, and push the feeder into the en- 

 trance of the hive, letting the jar sit on the portico, 

 or in chatf hives set on blocks outside, where the 

 rapid disappearance of the food may be watched. In 

 extremely cold weather, tucking the jars snugly in 

 warm woolen rsgs will retain the heat until empty 

 — a fair colony being able to store away the 2?.t lbs. 

 syrup, or 3 lbs. honey, in the incredibly short time of 

 from three to six hours. 



When weather is too cold for bees to fly, it would 

 be best to hang a few thicknesses of cloth in front, 

 to darken the entrances; care must be taken, how- 

 ever, that not t"he least chance is given for exit, for 

 all that should escape would be lost. To close this 

 usual entrance with blocks or wire would cause too 

 great excitement. A few advantages of this feeder 

 are, when it is first discovered that a colony is in 

 need, the deficiency can be supplied at onoe, in 

 quantity suflBcient for several weeks; the warmth 

 and the scent elongate the cluster to the feed in a 

 few minutes; the food will be stored where most 

 convenient, without disturbance; the food is in the 

 most attractive and efficient form, no time nor 

 waste of labor necessary to obtain water wherewith 

 to melt sugar; the excitement caused by the sudden 

 discovery of such an unexpected store of sweetness, 

 without previous disturbance, and without chang- 

 ing the usual state of affairs in the covering, can 

 only be a healthful one, and will most likely result 

 in quiet contentment, though it would not take a 

 great stretch of imafzlnation to think there might 

 possibly be a smacking of lips for more after the 

 supply is exhausted. A. C. Kendel. 



Cleveland, O., March 14, 1882. 



The friends will observe that the above is 

 thellains feeder, with the little modiflcation 

 of covering the open space with coarsely per- 

 forated tin, and prolonging one side so it 

 will go into the entrance of the hive, instead 

 of standing at one side. Up in the garret of 

 our old bee-house is almost the same thing, 

 to be screwed into the bung of a waxed 

 honey-barrel, so we can feed a barrel full in- 

 stead of only a fruit-jar full. I know it will 

 work, for you see I have tried it (with a ven- 

 geance). I fed a single colony a whole bar- 

 rel full of coffee sugar, and had drones flying 

 and a queen fertilized in October; also nice 

 (looking) comb honey, all made out of sugar. 

 There is one feature about a feeder to be 

 pushed into the entrance, that I very much 

 like ; and it is, that the colony can be kept 

 all packed up, in wintering trim, while the 

 feed is given. The feature I don't like about 

 them is having such a quantity of bulky 

 traps to store away when not wanted. The 

 tin bread-pans we used last fall are good in 

 this respect, and the colonies we fed with 

 them last fall are now in nice triiu. Giving 

 the feed while warm seems to be quite a 

 help, especially in cool weather. It occurs to 

 me something very nearly like friend K.'s 

 feeder has been given in our back numbers, 

 and it may be just like it ; but so many feed- 

 ers have been brought forward and then 

 dropped, it makes it a rather hopeles task to 

 look the matter up. ]Jut it is a good feeder, 

 and will be needed just about as this reaches 

 the most of our readers. We could make 

 the tin part for about 5 cts. each, or perhaps 

 $4.00 per 100. The jar will cost 10 cts. more. 



