THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Ill 



[For the American Boe Journal.] 



Summer Feeding of Bees. 



I moved my bees out of the cellar on the 9th 

 of April last. On the 19th they had gathered 

 considerable honey from maple sap. They had 

 an abundance of brood in stages, and the Italians 

 had drones luitching out. Tlie spring was very 

 cold and backward. On only a very few days 

 in May could the bees come out of their hives. 

 June proved to be nearly as bad. The bees had 

 to draw on their old supplies, and a great many 

 swarms in this section came near starving. From 

 the 3d of June to the loth, while the wild plums 

 and wild apples were in bloom, they gathered 

 somewhat more than they consumed. From the 

 15th of June to the 11th of July there was literal- 

 ly nothing for the black bees to get. Some 

 swarms actually starved to death. On the 11th 

 of July the sumac began to blossom, and lasted 

 till the 24th, when the bees began to gather honey 

 from the linden or basswood. From that time 

 tmtil the 6th of October, those swarms that were 

 in a condition to do so, gathered abundance of 

 honey. On the 9th and 10th of July, I examined 

 some black stocks for my neighbors, and found 

 no eggs nor brood in any stage in their hives. 

 Of course such hives were not in a condition to 

 store honey or raise surplus bees for increase this 

 season. 



During all this time, while the black bees were 

 starving, the Italians were busy at work every 

 day raising brood, and increasing very rapidly. 

 (I have scattered white clover seed broadcast all 

 around me, and it does first rate, so that I shall 

 have that to keep me along next season. ) 



Some people say that it does not pay to feed 

 bees. I know that it pays just as Avell to feed 

 bees when they need it, as it does to feed any- 

 thing else. Where I lived in Wisconsin for a 

 number of years before white clover came into 

 the country, I had to feed bees in the latter part 

 of June and the earlj^ part of July. But then I 

 had not the l)enefit of the basswood, for there was 

 none within three miles of me. 



I find that bees need feeding Avith me oftener 

 in the summer to make it profitable, than at any 

 other season of the year. For instance, just be- 

 fore basswood blossoms there is a scarcity of for- 

 age. The (lueen stops breeding, or if not alto- 

 gether, she will to a certain extent, even if an 

 abundance of sealed honey remains in the hive. 

 Now, if you will give two table spoonsful of very 

 thin sweet, (even if it is made of the cheapest 

 quality of sugar) to a swarm every evening for a 

 week, you will have the cells well filled with 

 brood when the honey season commences. On 

 the other hand, suppose you do not stimulate by 

 feeding, the honey season comes and the bees fill 

 all the cells with honey in advance of the queen. 

 The consequence is that you have a weak swarm 

 of bees during the whole season. I am aware that 

 this can be remedied to a certain extent in the 

 movable comb hives, by taking out a full frame 

 and inserting an empty one. But I have invaria- 

 bly found tliiit fifty cents worth of sugar, fed at 

 the right time and in the right manner, produced 

 five dollar.s'' worth of surplus bees or surplus 



honey, (or in about that ratio) over and above 

 what tiiey would have done, if they had not been 

 stimulat(;d. 



Of course this summer feeding is not necessary 

 every year and in all localities. The inexperi- 

 enced will say, how are we to know lor certain 

 when to fe(?d, and when not to feed? When bees 

 have gatlured iioney through the da}', you will 

 ahvays hear a loud roar or hum in tlie evening, 

 if you go near the entrance of tiieir liive. If they 

 have not gathered anything, all will be quiet and 

 still. If you thus ascertain that they are gather- 

 ing nothing for a number of days in succession, 

 then feed of course. 



Fall feeding is not profitable, because if bees 

 have been ])roperly managed through the sum- 

 mer, you will not have any stocks that need it. 

 There are hundreds, yea thousands of people who 

 never know that it is necessary to feed bees some- 

 times in the summer. But it certainly is. A 

 hint to the wise is suflicient; but columns written 

 to others on the subject would do no good. 



Elisha Gallup. 



Osage, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



A Strange Occurrence. 



Last spring I had a stock of bees in a frame 

 hive. They were not very strong in nmnbers, but 

 had a very fertile black queen, and the workers 

 were common bees. They worked very well all 

 summer, and stored some sur])luR box honey. 

 On the 30th of October, I thought I would take 

 out the combs and cut winter passages in them. 

 I took them all out, looked them over, and cut 

 the jiassages; but could find no eggs nor sealed 

 brood, or in fact any brood at all. I then thought 

 of course the stock had swarmed, and there was 

 a young unfertile queen in the hive. So I looked 

 the frames over to find the queen, and found her 

 all right in the hive. I knew the queen as I had 

 clipped her wings to jirevent her from flying 

 away with a swarm when I first hived them. 

 She appeared to be all right, as lively and active 

 as ever; but does not lay, and has not, I should 

 think for some time. Now, if any one can give 

 any reason why this queen does not lay, I would 

 like to know it. She is but one year old. 



F. W. D. 



(t^It is not unusual to find stocks without eggs 

 or brood at the time mentioned. Italian queens 

 commonly cease laying at an earlier period, but 

 recommence depositing eggs sooner than black 

 Ciueens. 



Sparrman has given us an amusing account of 

 the honey-ratel ( Viverra meUivora) which has a 

 particular instinct enabling it to discover bees, 

 and attack them in their entrenchments. Near 

 sunset the ratel will sit and hold one of his paws 

 before h\^eyes, in order to get a distinct view of 

 the object of his jiursuit; and when, in con.se- 

 quence of his peering about in this manner he 

 sees any bees flj'ing, he knows that at this time 

 of the day they are making for their habitations, 

 whither he follows them and so attains his end. 



