DECEMBER 15, 1912 



805 



had been a common occurrence, and one 

 successful beekeeper reported his bill for 

 sugar at about $600. One expert beekeep- 

 er lost several colonies from starvation be- 

 fore he discovered how short of stores they 

 were, and he found it necessary to feed 

 nearly 30 lbs. of syrup to each colony. 



Most of the bees that need feeding are 

 fed during the warm weather of fall ; but 

 for those who have been so unfortunate as 

 to overlook the matter at an earlier date 

 some simple directions for winter feeding 

 and a description of winter feeders may be 

 helpful. 



In some resj^ects, late fall and winter is 

 a better time to feed than earlier in the 

 season. After all breeding has stopped, 

 there is no brood to consume the winter 

 stores; after the bees have settled down for 

 winter no precaution against robbing is 

 necessary, and with no brood in the hives 

 a better estimate of the food required may 

 be made. Moreover, the last food stored 

 will be the first to be consumed by the bees. 

 This last point is especially important in 

 view of the fact that granulated sugar syr- 

 up has been found to be superior to the 

 best honey as a winter food for bees. The 

 late fall feeding of granulated sugar syrup 

 places the best of winter stores where they 

 will be consumed during the most trying of 

 the wintering season. 



Winter feeding can not be successfully 

 accomplished with any feeder where the 

 bees must move far from the cluster to 

 reach the food. Hence the division-board 

 feeder, or a feeder on the bottom-board, or 

 beneath the hive, or any feeder over the 

 cluster where the bees must traverse a space 

 of several inches to reach the food, will 

 not answer. In cold weather the bees of a 

 strong colony can hardly be induced to go 

 over the edge of a shallow pie-tin to reach 

 the food. The only feeder that answers 

 every requirement for winter use is of the 

 pepper-box-feeder type in which the food 

 is brought right against the cluster. Where 

 it is necessary to feed rapidly and in con- 

 siderable quantity the ordinary pepper-box 

 feeder is too small ; but it is an easy and in- 

 expensive matter to improvise one out of a 

 ten-pound honey-pail or a ten-pound lard- 

 pail which will contain 14 pounds of srjnip. 

 All that is necessary to be done is to punch 

 about 100 holes in the lid, each about the 

 size of the lead of a pencil, and evenly dis- 

 tributed over its surface. After the feeding 

 is done the pails may be used for honey, 

 and the only expense of the feeder will be 

 an extra cover — perha^Ds about two or three 

 cents each. 



The feeder, beins; stocked with the re- 



quired amount of syrup, is inverted over 

 the cluster of bees. The feeder should rest 

 on a couple of % strips of wood to allow 

 the bees to reach all the holes in the cover 

 of the feeder. It is obvious that the food 

 is brought so near the bees that they scarce- 

 ly need to break cluster to reach it, and 

 that they store it right where it is available 

 for immediate use. The act of inverting 

 the feeder should be done over the cluster 

 so the eseaiDing drops of syrup will fall on 

 the bees, which will encourage them to com- 

 mence taking the food. A quilt should 

 cover all portions of the top of the combs 

 and frames. A hole should be made in the 

 quilt directly over the center of the cluster 

 over which the feeder is placed. It is nec- 

 essary that the feeder rest in a level posi- 

 tion. If much out of level, air may find its 

 way through the holes at the highest point 

 and force the syrup out too fast. The 

 syrup should be fed warm. If fed hot, 

 greater care is necessary in leveling the 

 feeder. The bottom-boards of most hives 

 are propolized so they are syrup-tight ; and 

 if the hive is tipped back, any syrup that 

 finds its way to the bottom-board will not 

 be wasted, but will be stored by the bees 

 when they become thoroughly roused up by 

 feeding. If the weather is unusually cold 

 when the feeding is done, packing of leaves, 

 chaff, or shavings should be placed over the 

 quilt and over and around the feeder. 



Bees may be fed in this manner during 

 their confinement in the cellar as well as 

 out of doors. 



The syrup should be made of the best 

 grades of granulated sugar. Use two parts 

 sugar to one part water, by weight. Bring 

 the water to a boil and stir in the sugar, 

 after which bring to a boil again. The addi- 

 tion of a teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 

 fifty pounds* of sugar is said to be effective 

 in preventing granulation. This is very 

 desirable when feeding at any time of the 

 year, and esi^ecially when feeding with the 

 pepper-box type of feeder, as gTanulation 

 would speedily cause the holes in the cover 

 of the feeder to be filled, and render the 

 feeder inoperative. 



Fruit-jars may be used for feeders in a 

 manner similar to the feeder above describ- 

 ed. Fill the jar with syrup, and secure a 

 piece of cheese-cloth over its mouth by 

 screwing the rim of the jar down over the 

 cloth or by tying the cloth in place with a 

 string. A board of a horizontal dimension 

 that will allow it to be placed within the 

 super or hive body, or in any event over the 



* The usual directions call for a teaspoonful of 

 tartaric acid to 20 lbs. of sugar. Perhaps one in 50 

 is enough. — Ed.] 



