360 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



tying- two pieces of wool twine around 

 tiie hive, outside the felt. One string 

 was put around near the lower edge of 

 the hive, and the other near its upper 

 edge. 



The lower string was put around first, 

 then, before putting on the upper string, 

 sawdust was poured down inside the 

 felt, between it and the hive. The lower 

 string kept it from running out, and the 

 upper string drew it snugly up against 

 the sides of the hive. The thickness of 

 the sawdust packing averaged about 

 two inches. The bees were well packed 

 and protected, yet it was easy to examine 

 them by simply lifting off the super. 



I had a stock of full combs of honey, 

 about two to each hive, and, during the 

 warm weather the colonies were all 

 examined, and given plenty of stores of 

 sealed honey. 



The last half of March and the first 

 half of April were warm and balmy— 

 really May weather; and how the bees 

 did boom. How they did rear brood, and 

 how the stores did disappear. Some of 

 the colonies actually "hung out" just as 

 they do the first of June. But I did not 

 worry any. They had plenty of stores 

 and were amply protected. 1 actually 

 enjoyed seeing them boom even at this 

 unseasonable time of the year, as 1 knew 

 that 1 was able to take care of and use 

 to advantage, all the bees they could 

 rear, and of all the brood they might 

 start. I felt sure, however, that I would 

 have adverse weather to contend with. 

 But I was ready for it, and it is well that 

 I was ready, as it came and lasted, off 

 and on, for nearly six weeks. Snow, and 

 rain, and cold, day after day, then sun- 

 shine for a day or two, then more rain. 

 Fruit bloom came out and went with not 

 more than three or four days in which 

 the bees could work. I stood by the 

 bees as a physician stands by a patient 

 who is seriously ill, and saw to it that 

 they lacked for nothing. 



HOW TO ADJUST THE ALEXANDER FEEDER. 



Finally it became so late, along in May, 

 that I felt safe in removing the side 



packing; especially as every hive was 

 jammed full of bees. The reserve of 

 sealed combs of honey had all been used, 

 so I put an Alexander feeder under each 

 hive and began to feed sugar syrup. By 

 the way, in using the Alexander feeder 

 there is a better way of putting them 

 under the hive than that usually em- 

 ployed. Ordinarily, the feeder is fastened 

 to the back of the bottom board, level 

 with the top of the rim upon which the 

 hive sits. This brings the bottom of the 

 frames down in contact with the feeder, 

 and, in handling the frames bees are 

 often crushed between the frames and 

 the feeder. Here is my plan: Turn the 

 bottom board around, end for end, so 

 that the front end of the bottom board 

 where there is no strip of wood forming 

 the rim upon which the hive sits, is at 

 the back of the hive, then fasten on the 

 feeder level with the top of the bottom 

 board, instead of with the top of the rim, 

 and, by the use of strips of wood make a 

 temporary rim out over the feeder. In 

 fact, this temporary rim can be made 

 to fasten the feeder to the bottom board. 

 This plan leaves a bee space under the 

 whole length of the frames. 



MAKING THE SYRUP. 



1 made the syrup in a tall tin can hold- 

 ing about 10 gallons. I simply stirred 

 the sugar into cold water, until no more 

 sugar would dissolve. It was then 

 drawn off through a honey gate into a 

 sprinkler can with the rose removed, 

 and carried around and poured into the 

 feeders. 



My feeders hold a quart, each, and 1 

 found that a full, strong colony, in a 

 ten-frame hive, would pretty nearly use 

 a feeder full in two days. By this I 

 mean consume it in brood rearing, and 

 in leeding the mature bees. 



The most of the colonies were soon in 

 such a condition that I could put an 

 upper story of combs on each. The 

 queens at once cl'mbed into these upper 

 stories and began business there. 



Soon these colonies were populous 

 enough to divide, and here is how I did 



