1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



477 



SO careful and dainty of themselves, are pressed 

 and crushed duwu into the feed: and as each 

 bee makes its escape up through the struggling 

 mass with Its well-earned load of sweets, it 

 wipes its feet and wings and body off upon its 

 neighbor's fine clothes, and ihey in turn rub it 

 off upon others, and this process is kept up un- 

 til the whole mass becomes smeared and dauby. 



What then? As if ashannd to be seen by 

 their friends at home in this deplorable plight, 

 they go out and alight on a twig or leaf, or on 

 the grass or fence, and commence scraping off 

 the precious sweet they were so eager to get 

 into a few moments before, and wipe it upon 

 any thing and every thing at hand. The loss 

 of the feed thus wasted by being scattered 

 around in almost imperceptible particles is a 

 very serious loss to the bee-keeper when consid- 

 ered in the aggregate. 



Nor is this the only serious part of the busi- 

 ness. The whole apiary is thrown into a bed- 

 lam of commotion by the feed that has been so 

 recklessly and profusely exposed by the daubed 

 bees, and this is the explanation of how bees are 

 so commonly excited to robbing and pilfering by 

 feeding. 



In my search after a feeder I have tried many 

 — very many— of this class, and I could furnish 

 now a rare collection of samples that have been 

 consigned to the rubbish-gallery and to oblivi- 

 on, that once were objects of great expectation. 

 I had high hopes at one time in regard to open- 

 air feeding, and I constructed an atmospheric 

 feeder by inverting a can of feed on a slotted 

 board. This worked admirably; but after feed- 

 ing a few barrels of sugar in this way I aban- 

 doned the idea of open-air feeding, and used the 

 feeders only for water in the dry part of the 

 season. The objection to open-air feeding, ac- 

 cording to my experience, was, the excitement 

 caused too much waste of energy to make it 

 profitable. Tlie strong colonies, that had the 

 least need of feed, got the lion's share. But the 

 principle of this feeder I did not abandon. It 

 became the stepping-stone and led to the atmos- 

 pheric entrance-feeder, which has been already 

 described and illustrated in this journal by the 

 editor, and which is the only one I have ever 

 been entirely satisfied with. In regard to it I 

 will add to the brief description already given a 

 few more words in detail. 



I use a special wide-mouthed can holding two 

 quarts, and not a common fruit-can, as de- 

 scribed. I would not recommend any thing 

 smaller. It woiild involve more labor in feed- 

 ing. I have found these small enough. In us- 

 ing these feeders no feed need be exposed, either 

 by the bees or the bee-keeper, to attract robbers. 

 The feed is in sight, and the bee-keeper can see 

 at a glance just what each colony is doing, and 

 know just when the feed is out, without any 

 examination. The feed is perfectly protected, 

 and no harm can come to it from storms, even if 

 it remainsunused indefinitely. They are as near 



being robber-proof as any feeder can be made. 

 They are always in working order, but will not 

 work without the assistance of the bees, even if 

 left on all summer. Last summer I was feeding 

 atone time 145 colonies in my home yard, and 

 60 more at my out-apiary. 



HOW IT WAS DONE. 



The cans were filled in the bee-house, from a 

 tank, by a faucet, the caps adjusted, and placed 

 in crates holding 12 to 14 cans. These were 

 placed on a wheelbarrow, when ready to feed, 

 two crates at a load, and wheeled out into the 

 yard, and distributed by placing one on top of 

 each hive. When all are thus distributed I pass 

 rapidly along and invert each can in the feed- 

 chamber, which has been previously adjusted to 

 the hive. The bees are protected from injury in 

 this chamber by an ample bee-space below the 

 can when adjusted. I have filled these cans at 

 all times, whenever they became empty, but 

 prefer feeding at evening. 



In feeding my out-apiary I took a sufficient 

 number of these cases of filled feeders into my 

 spring bee wagon and diove 'o the apiary, with 

 no slopping or spilling; thus the work of filling 

 was all done at the bee-house at home, where 

 the feed was prepared. 



I prepare the feed by dissolving granulated 

 sugar in water, nearly equal parts of each. I 

 use hot water, but cold water will do, I am 

 suie. Sugar syrup needs no doctoring for feed, 

 excepting what the bees do themselves. 



East Townsend, O. 



[There are many things in favor of an en- 

 trance feeder, and such tVeders would have 

 been used more largely in tlie past but for the 

 fact that none have been constructed hitherto 

 but that would more or less invite the atten- 

 tion of robbers. But from what I saw in Mr. 

 Boardman's yard during the robbing season 

 last year, I am firmly of the opinion that he 

 has solved the problem. Furthermore, his 

 feeder may be used as a percolator, if desired, I 

 think. Indeed, he almost admits as much when 

 he says the sugar and water may be mixed half 

 and half, the water cold; and even if the sugar 

 did not all dissolve, more water could be put in 

 at the next feed, and the bees would thus take 

 care of the whole.— Ed.] 



WAX. 



ADULTERATION, AND IIOW TO DETECT IT. 



By Karl Rudolph 3Iathetj. 



The adulteration of wax is due mostly to its 

 high price ; and this is done as well with the 

 natural yellow wax as with the bleached prod- 

 uct. This adulteration is effected either by 

 means of other fats such as tallow and stearine, 

 and sebacic acid, or with vegetable fats and va- 

 rious kinds of vegetable wax; and lately with 

 refined ozokerite (mineral wax, earth wax, or 

 ceresin), and then rendered hard with certain 

 solid substances. One may therefore safely 

 conclude that adulteration of less than 30 or 40 

 per cent is seldom or never met, and some with 



