The Manipulation of Bees 243 



moved and a float must be used to prevent bees from drown- 

 ing. The Alexander feeder (Fig. 106) is useful mainly for 

 stimulation. It may be placed under the rear of the brood- 

 chamber if the bottom board is moved forward, but this 

 often causes robbing and a better plan is to place it in a 

 collar under the brood-chamber as shown in the illustration. 

 For feeding small quantities, a "pepper-box feeder" (Fig. 

 107) may be inverted over the brood frames in an empty 

 hive-body. Mason jars may be used in the same way, 

 special pierced covers being sold by dealers in beekeeping 

 supplies. For rapid feeding in the fall, a large pan in an 

 empty super (Fig. 108) is perhaps best. Green grass should 

 be thrown in the syrup to give support to the bees while 

 feeding, this being better than excelsior or chips as it does 

 not absorb the syrup. The empty super and pan may be 

 placed under the brood-chamber for late feeding, in which 

 case the bees take the syrup more rapidly. 



Uniting. 



If a colony becomes queenless in late fall, it is usually 

 not profitable to give it a queen, but it may be united with a 

 normal colony to save the bees. It is not wise to try to 

 winter weak colonies, but if two or more are united to make 

 a strong colony, keeping the best queen, the risk in wintering 

 is reduced and better results are obtained in the spring. 

 It is also more profitable to unite weak colonies in the spring 

 than to build them up. 



Influence of hive odor. 



Every colony of bees has a distinctive odor by which bees 

 recognize individuals from their own colony, normally 

 resenting the entrance to their hive of those from other 

 colonies. In uniting colonies, the different odors may be 

 hidden by smoking both vigorously. Tobacco smoke may 

 be used, but if too much is employed the bees become stupe- 

 fied. If bees are stupefied by tobacco smoke, chloroform or 

 other anaesthetics, they lose their memory of former locations 



