FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 103 



colonies very little. ^lorever, I have seen indications that 

 part of the colonies get none, both of the weak and 

 strong. You are also dependent on the weather, as wet 

 and cliilly davs may come, when bees cannot fly. 



As already mentioned, when the bees are brought out 

 of the cellar, colonies are marked that are suspiciously 

 light, and their immediate wants supplied as soon as pos- 

 sible! But with 8-frame hives there will be a good many 

 colonies that will run short of stores before there is any 

 chance for them to supply themselves from outside. 



STIMULATIVE FEEDING. 



Some would say that I ought to practice stimulative 

 feeding for the sake of hastening the work of building 

 up the colonv. But it takes a good deal of wisdom to 

 know at all times just how to manage stimulative feedmg 

 so as not to do harm instead of good ; and I am not cer- 

 tain that I have the wisdom. 



Whatever else may be true about spring feedmg, I 

 am pretty fully settled 'in the belief that it is of first nii- 

 portance that the bees should have an abundant supply of 

 stores, whether such supply be furnished from day to day 

 by the bee-keeper, or stored up by the bees themselves six 

 months or a year previously. Moreover, I believe they 

 build up more rapidly if they have not only enough to use 

 from day to dav, but a reserve or visible supply for future 

 use. If a colony comes out of the cellar strong, and with 

 combs full of stores, I have some doubts if I can hasten 

 its building up by any tinkering I can do. So my feeding 

 in spring is to make sure they have abundant stores, 

 rather than for the stimulation of frequent giving. 



RAPID CONSUMPTION OF STORES. 



After so many years of experience in that line, I am 

 nevertheless still surprised sometimes to find how rapidly 

 the stores have diminished under the constantly increas- 

 ing demands made by brood-rearing. So there is little 



