312 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



November 



IMPORTANCE OF WATERING IN 

 THE APIARY. 



BY E. WHITCOMB. 



Read at 27th Annual Convention N. A, Bee Keep- 

 ers Association. 



Many bee keepers have entirely 

 overlooked the importance of bringing 

 water into the apiary and thus allow- 

 ing the bee to search for this much- 

 needed article as best she can, and 

 usually at a great loss to the colony, 

 especially during the warm days in 

 winter and early spring. Like the 

 farm or dairy, it is a close attention 

 to the small items that pays best, and 

 negligence in the apiary is just as 

 prolific of losses as when applied to 

 any other industry. Many of us as 

 bee keepers do not consider the im- 

 portant uses to which water is applied 

 •in the apiary, or the losses resulting 

 from a neglect to fully and carefully 

 supply it. 



' The necessity of water by the hon- 

 ey-bees is to dissolve honey which 

 sometimes becomes candied in the 

 cells, and in brood-rearing they can 

 make but little progress without an 

 •abundant supply of water. In early 

 spring, when compelled to go long 

 distances or to secure a supply from 

 hydrants, tanks, brooks or drains, the 

 losses will be beyond comprehension, 

 and the careful apiarist is fully aware 

 of the value of these little water-gath- 

 erers at this season of the year. He 

 could well afford to lose four times 

 their number a month or two later on. 

 It is apparent that many cases of so- 

 called spring-dwindling is traceable 

 to the want of water oE the proper 

 temperature supplied at convenient 

 places in the apiary. 



The advantages of providing water 



for the bee is, first, to avoid the dis 

 ease called thirst ; second, when al- 

 lowed to forage away from the apiary 

 they obtain, of times, that which is im- 

 pure and of so low a temperature that 

 it is injurious to the delicate organism 

 of the bee, and it becomes chilled and 

 cannot return to the hive. 



To obviate these difliculties I bring 

 the water into close proximity to the 

 the colony, in all its purity, and in a 

 condition of temperature best suited 

 to meet the requireraants of the deli- 

 cate form of the bee. Thus she may 

 secure an abundant supply on making 

 the shortest possible journey to and 

 fro, and also at a temperature even 

 warmer than the surrounding atmos- 

 phere. Many of us have taken great 

 pains in locating the apiary to secure 

 the most sheltered point, where the 

 chilling winds of spring may be the 

 least liable to reach them, and at the 

 same time have allowed our bees to 

 wander out perhaps a mile into the 

 cool currents of air in quest of water, 

 perchance sipping the water from 

 tanks or streams almost ice cold, and 

 yet our colonies wintered fairly well, 

 but we complain of losing a great per 

 cent, by spring dwindling, and giving 

 the matter a little thought, water had 

 the most to do with our difficulties. 



To avoid this almost entirely, I 

 have adopted the plan of supplying an 

 abundance of pure drinking water in 

 easy access to the colony. To accom- 

 plish this effectually and cheaply as 

 possibly, I use the one-half gallon 

 fruit-jar, removing the screw top and 

 rubber (any tight vessel will answer 

 equally as well), and taking an inch 

 board from four to eight inches square, 

 the size is immaterial ; now with a 

 small guage or a common pocket-knife 



