Seiiteniber. 1914. 



American Bee JoarnalJ 



than feeding syrup. Ever so much less 

 danger of starting robbing. And if I 

 were forced to feed sugar, I'd try to do 

 it so early that it would do no hurt to 

 liave tlie syrup very thin. 



All of which, however, has little to 

 do with the case in hand. Let's get 

 down to it. It is simply a question as 

 to the proportion of sugar and water if 

 syrup is fed, and I understand Mr. Mc- 

 Kinnon to refer to late feeding — an im- 

 portant factor. Mr. McKinnon does 

 not agree with our Editor as to the 

 proportion. Neither do I. Mr. Mc- 

 Kinnon thinks he uses only half enough 

 of water. 1 think he uses 25 percent 

 too much water! My reason: Well, 

 what's the use of giving the bees extra 

 water to be evaporated at a time when 

 the chances for evaporation are poor, 

 and there is nothing to be gained by 

 it ? Two parts of sugar to one of 

 water is thitiner than honey; two and 

 a half parts sugar to one of water is 

 about the consistency of honey. Please 

 remember that we are talking about 

 feeding late, and feeding all in a lump, 

 with poor chance for the bees to make 

 any cliange in what is given them. 

 The nearer, then, we can have our feed 

 to the consistency of honey the better. 

 Let me hasten to say, however, that 

 what the Editor was talking about, 

 page 12!l, was feeding in spring. I 

 don't know that I would want to make 

 any change in his feed at that time, 

 unless it might be to make it a little 

 wetter. What Mr. McKinnon is talk- 

 ing about is "in the late fall when 

 nights are cool." 



The important part is to know the 

 result of feeding thick syrup late, and 

 Mr. McKinnon wants to hear from 

 those "who have had experience, and 

 have taken the trouble to look through 

 the hives two or three days after feed- 

 ing." I've had the experience, all 

 right, having fed tons of syrup years 

 ago, before I knew any better. I can- 

 not, however, comply with the specifi- 

 cation of having looked through the 

 hives two or three days after feedinu;, 

 as I'm not sure I ever did that, and I'm 

 afraid the number that have is so small 

 that there may be no response, so I will 

 give my testimony forwhat it is worth. 

 I do not think I ever did any late 

 feeding of syrup as thin as two to one; 

 it was always two and one-half sugar 

 to one of water. If feeding two to one 

 would result in one-third to one-half 

 of it granulating so the bees could not 

 eat it, then putting in 25 percent more 

 sugar should make the granulating at 

 least 25 percent more, making 5-12 to 

 H of it. 



Mr. McKinnon would say it candied 

 and I didn't know it, because I didn't 

 look in two or three days, "as the bees 

 will start to cut the candied sugar out 

 at once." In that case I surely should 

 have seen at some time some of the 

 granules carried out, seeing hundreds 

 of pounds were carried out year after 

 year. I do not recall that I ever ob- 

 served a single instance, although such 

 quantities at the entrance and scattered 

 around the yard should have been 

 plainly seen. 



"An examination the following 

 spring will not reveal much candied 

 syrup" — it will reveal some — "unless 

 the colony has died outright." Which 

 suggests that some colonies die out- 



right, leaving the candied stores. In 

 so large an experience, I ought to have 

 found at least a few such cases. Is it 

 thinkable that I should not have no- 

 ticed it, even if there had been only a 

 single case; that in a careful scrutiny 

 of each comb every spring, I should 

 never have noticed even the small 

 quantity left ; that I should never have 

 noticed the imperfect combs where the 

 bers had cut out the candied stores ? 



Is it not likely that his is the excep- 

 tional case, rather than that every one 

 else is wrong ? Reminds one of the 

 old woman who said to her crony: 

 " All the world's queer but you and me, 

 Sally, and sometimes I think you're a 

 little queer, Sally." 



I always used an even teaspoonful 

 of tartaric acid to 20 pounds of sugar. 

 (If feed is given thin and ear/y, acid is 

 not needed.) Any candy maker will 

 tell you that acid prevents granulation. 

 Yet I know of at least one other case 

 in which the syrup candied in spite of 

 the acid. 



Inste d of asking why so many ex- 

 tensive beekeepers endorse thick syrup 

 for late feeding, is not the question 

 rather: " Why the rare exceptions ?" 

 C. C. Miller. 



[Mr. McKinnon will pardon us for 

 inserting this article so late. It was 

 sent in April, too late for the May 

 number, and we have thought it would 

 be more timely for fall, as September 

 and Octoberare the months for winter- 

 stores considerations. We have had 

 the curiosity of investigating authors 

 of former years on this subject, and we 

 will give a review in the ( Jctober num- 

 ber, on sugar for feeding. — Editor.] 



correct method of preparing such colo" 

 nies for winter. If he will pardon th 

 liberty, however, I will offer a few sug' 

 gestions along this line, for correc' 

 vvintering methods are the prime essen- 

 tial in successful beekeeping in the 

 North. 



A study of bee nature reveals the 

 fact that they are creatures enslaved 

 by habit and guided by instinct; hence, 

 they will usually do the same way 

 every time under like conditions. For 

 example, the habit of expansion and 

 contraction is so highly developed in 

 bees that a colony occupying two hive- 

 bodies in summer, will naturally con- 

 tract to the capacity of a single hive- 

 body in winter. Such a colony would 

 be poorly protected in a two-story 

 hive regardless of outside packing, un- 

 less they can be induced to form the 

 winter cluster in the top story. This 

 practice, however, is evidently forbid- 

 den by habit and instinct, both of which 

 wisely compel them to form the winter 

 nest at the bottom of the combs and 

 near the entrance, and follow the base 

 of supplies by a gradual movement up- 

 ward. The wisdom of this habit is 

 apparent, for if the cluster reaches the 

 top of the hive in zero weather theii 

 doom is sealed. 



Owing to this trait in bee nature we 

 have found it safer to follow their ex- 

 ample and contract the wintering hive 

 to half the capacity of the summer 

 hive, and provide a 3-inch space under 

 the frames to accommodate the winter 

 cluster. With combs solid full of 

 honey and suitable outside protection, 

 bees in this condition can utilize the 

 heat that radiates from the cluster, and 

 will invariably winter well in spite of 

 the cold. 



Birmingham, Ohio. 



Expansion and Contraction Beekeepers I Have Known— 



"B. A. Aldrich" 



BY J. E. HANI). 



THE article by Dr. E. F. Phillips, in 

 the July number of the American 

 Bee Journal, contains an unusual 

 amount of solid practical information 

 concerning the prime essentials in 

 economical honey production, infor- 

 mation that beginners should preserve 

 for future reference. There is one 

 point, however, that I cannot help 

 wishing he had brought out a little 

 more specifically; this refers to meth- 

 ods of wintering bees out of-doors in 

 protected hives. In this connection 

 he asks the question, " Have you ever 

 seen a colony wintered in two hive- 

 bodies well supplied with honey, and 

 well packed, come out in the spring ?" 



While this question might be so 

 construed as to express a doubt as to 

 whether such colonies ever do come 

 out in the spring, we feel disposed to 

 modify and mollify the answer by say- 

 ing that while we have known such 

 colonies to winter well, experience has 

 taught us that it was in spite of the 

 poor protection provided by the two 

 hive-bodies, rather than on account of 

 it. This applies to the North, where 

 the conservation of the heat that radi- 

 ates from the winter cluster is impera- 

 tive. 



It is to be regretted that Dr. Phillips 

 did not enlighten us concerning the 



BY FRANK C. PELLETT. 



BERT ALDRICH, of Smithland, is 

 one of the big bee men of Iowa. 

 When it comes to total production 

 it is doubtful if any man in the State 

 exceeds his average crop. Here in 

 in Iowa none of our bee men number 

 their colonies by the thousand as in a 

 few western localities. However, per- 

 haps there is not in the United States 

 a beekeeper with not to exceed 400 

 colonies who can beat Aldrich when it 

 comes to counting the profits. He 

 does practically all his own work, and 

 has the finest equipment of any man in 

 Iowa. 



As will be seen by the photograph, 

 the honey-house is two stories high. 

 The ground is on a level with the sec- 

 ond floor on the north side, and the 

 honey is all brought home lor extract- 

 ing. It is unloaded on the upper floor, 

 and an 8-frame power-driven extractor 

 takes care of it very rapidly. Instead 

 of a honey pump, he has a drain pipe 

 running directly from the extractor to 

 a tank on the lower floor. This tank 

 holds about 3000 pounds, and is suffi- 

 cient to contain one day's extracting. 



Some men with a system of out- 

 yards such as Aldrich runs, carry a 

 small extractor from yard to yard and 



