1879 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



487 



press, and I fear, sometimes worry me. 

 Now I am good natured, and ready for busi- 

 ness. What is it ? 



One of my leading question? remains unanswered. 

 I will re-state my case, r have 3 hives of bees that 

 are not sufficiently provided with food for winter. 



HOW TO FEED 1ST THE WINTER. 



Th^y will not take syrup from behind a division 

 board, or from the top of frames, from either pep- 

 per box or Simp, feeder. What an I to do? 



Why, bless your heart, I knew they 

 wouldn't, at this time of the year; havn't I 

 told you so often? Give 'em candy, to be 

 sure. 



Candy? Well, I don't understand candy; wn 1 

 give them enough candy at once, to last through the 

 winter, or must it be fed at intervals? If all at once, 

 then where should it he put in the hive? and how 

 much will it take to feed an ordinary single swarm ? 



There ! There ! do you suppose I have got 

 sense enough to keep all this in my head at 

 once, and not miss the leading question of 

 the Avhole again V Let me see. You can 

 make the candy as I told you how in the 

 A B C book, you can buy it of the confec- 

 tioners, or you can send to me for it. Yes ; 

 you can give a colony enough at once, to last 

 all winter, but I do not believe I would un- 

 dertake to do so, because it will require so 

 large a block, that it will lie like ice over the 

 cluster, and they cannot keep such a lump 

 warm near as well as they could some small 

 lumps or sticks, right on the frames, just 

 over the cluster. To make it sure, you want 

 them to come up and cluster on and among 

 the lumps or sticks. I have given colonies 

 enough candy to last them all winter, by giv- 

 ing them two cakes, just about the size and 

 shape of ordinary building bricks, say from 

 3 to 4 lb. each. ' Cover it well with warm 

 woolens, or chaff cushions, and tuck them 

 up as snugly, to keep out the frost, as you 

 would one of the children. 



I would prefer not to o- en a hive during the win- 

 ter, but if it is necessary to feed at intervals, how 

 much and in what way should it be given? 



Very well, you can give them enough to 

 last until the next warm spell. You can 

 open the hives and see to them any day 

 Avhen it is warm enough so that the snow is 

 melting slightly. Put it right in the cluster 

 among them, and if they have no honey, be 

 very sure they don't get entirely out. 



1 shall make my candy, if I must use it, of coffee A. 



Very well ; coffee A is just as good as any 

 thing else, and, as it will go farther and che 

 bees like it rather better, it may be safer for 

 you than grape sugar, unless you put in a 

 little of the grape sugar to stop the tendency 

 of the candy to grain. 



What I would like to do, is to feed, now, sufficient 

 stmes to last through. 



You can do it. if you wish, as I have told 



you. 



I also have the idea that, in case several frames 

 were filled with, candy, the bees would eat the one 

 nearest to them, aud then be unable to cross the 

 intervening space to the next, and so starve. Ami 

 right? Please let me know. Anna L. Gray. 



Bloomfleid, Conn., Nov. 10, 1ST9. 



Yes : such will be liable to be the case, 

 unless your colony is very strong in bees, 

 and then I should hardly like to risk more 



than one frame of candy in a hive at the 

 same time. If they once get well to work 

 on it, it seems to furnish them heat to with- 

 stand the cold ; but, in such a case, they 

 consume quite an amount of stores, compar- 

 ed to what bees do when they winter in their 

 quiet natural way. 1 have rather preferred 

 the tray right over the bees (mentioned in 

 Oct. No.) to candy in a frame, but even 

 with this, I find that, in cool weather, they 

 only consume the candy right over the clus- 

 ter. It is on this account that I would, for 

 cold weather, rather risk the small lumps or 

 sticks right over the cluster. Trusting to 

 candy alone is rather risky, especially in the 

 1 lands of a beginner, although bees can be 

 wintered on it, without any other stores. 

 Cakes of maple sugar answer nicely in place 

 of candy. Now, Miss Anna, if you do just 

 as I say, and your bees all die, I will give 

 you one of mine in the spring. Havn't I 

 been real good this time V 



NOTES FROM THE BANNER APIARY . 

 NO. 1. 



THE BANNER APIART. 



Don't think that I'm conceited, 



Or wish to put on style; 

 For names, when first repeated, 



Will often cause a ■smile. 



I'll tell you how 'twas christened, 



The reasons all explain; 

 Please wait until you've listened, 



Before you call me vain. 



My tenement hive, noted 

 For shingles and for chaff, 



O'er which a banner floated 

 From a nice, painted staff, 



Had bees that robb'd the posies, 

 With flights that ne'er did lag; 



While they turned up their noses 

 At hives that had no flag. 



Their neighbors saw their manners, 



And then began to shirk; 

 And 'till they, too, had banners. 



Declared they would not work. 



At last, these bees were humored, 

 And furnished with a flag; 



And then how soon 'twas rumored. 

 That they'd begun to brag:. 



These pranks the bees kept noting 

 (I wished them all to thrive), 



So banners soon were floating- 

 O'er almost every hive. 



And when in such a manner, 

 My own bee-yard was decked, 



Its name, of course, was banner; 

 What else could you expect? 



My apiary's glowing 



With pride o'er such a name : 

 I'll work to keep it growing, 

 And worthy of the same. 



W. z. Hutchinson. 

 Kogersville, Genesee Co., Mich. 



