foreign ^otts. 



From Der Elscessiseh-Lothringiselte Bienen-Zuechter: 

 Translated by Frank Benton. 



The Question of Feeding. 



There are bee-keepers who say : "Better 

 keep no bees than to feed them ! " There 

 are others who think they have done enough 

 if, once a year— when the time of greatest 

 need conies— they remember these little 

 creatures with a small portion of honey, 

 or sweetened water, or a piece of candy. 



But there are also some bee-culturists in 

 the world— thanks to the spirit of progress, 

 their number is constantly increasing— who 

 feed during the whole year, that is, when- 

 ever a time of need comes, or when it may 

 be deemed advisable as a matter of profit. 



Brinistoning bees, really robbing them of 

 their honey, or securing large yields in 

 good seasons, cannot be termed scientific 

 bee-culture ; on the other hand, wintering 

 bees successfully, and, in order to secure a 

 surplus during poor seasons such as last 

 year, decreasing the number of colonies 

 without killing any bees, may be said to 

 combine the science and art of cultivating 

 bees. 



I will now begin with the calender year 

 and speak of the points to be observed in 

 feeding. In the month of January bees in 

 straw hives may be fed with large chunks 

 of candy, which will avoid any great dis- 

 turbance of the hive ; the pieces are to be 

 placed in the top part of the hive and the 

 opening closed at once with a wooden stop- 

 ple ; if no opening exists above make one at 

 once by means of a sharp knife, having pre- 

 pared beforehand the stopple referred to. 

 This candy feeding is to be repeated every 

 two weeks. With movable-comb hives full 

 combs of honey can be inserted ; in case 

 these are lacking, lukewarm syrup of the 

 consistency of mucilage— two parts sugar 

 ard one part water brought to a boil— can be 

 given once a week. 



February and March the same. 



In April, particularly toward its close, 

 speculative feeding commences, to bring 

 about early swarming. The feeding is to be 

 conducted as described above, only the bees 

 must be supplied oftener — perhaps every 

 three to five days, and, if possible in a warm 

 liquid state, for in this condition the bees 

 accept most readily the food offered them. 

 Bees as well as human beings like warm 

 food better than cold. 



I have never supplied Hour and such sub- 

 stances, for at this season of the year Nature 

 cares for the bee in this respect better than 

 it is possible for the apiarist to provide for 

 them. 



Notwithstanding so few bee-keepers think 

 of feeding during May, June, and July, yet 

 often such unfavorable weather occurs that, 

 especially on cold, rainy days, young swarms 

 or nuclei should be looked after, and this 

 will be found to pay. During such periods 

 feed as often as every fifth day. 



August and September cause one to think 

 of winter stores. If the amount already in 



201 



the hive is not sufficient, it is better to feed 

 now, rather than later, as a substitute, re- 

 fined sugar made into a thick syrup. 



If, in order to save the trouble of feeding, 

 the bee-keeper has waited in hopes that Na- 

 ture would, during the month just men- 

 tioned, supply the necessary food, and has 

 waited in vain, he must not delay furnish- 

 ing it in the month of October, and it should 

 be thicker than would be necessary earlier. 



The directions given for January answer 

 also for November and December. 



I wish to remark again that if one tries, 

 even on a single hive, spring-feeding, he 

 will see how rapidly it will build up— will 

 observe with delight how quickly it will in- 

 crease in numbers, especially if the queen 

 is no " old stick " and the colony has a fair 

 number of bees to start with. 



Kaltenbach. 



[It needs to be remarked here that while 

 the plan of giving bees liquid food during 

 December, January, and February, may an- 

 swer under certain conditions in a mild cli- 

 mate, where the bees fly every few days 

 during these months, it would be most cer- 

 tain to bring destruction if followed in any 

 climate as severe as that of the Northern 

 half of our country.— Trans.] 



Translated from L'Apiculteur Alsacien-Lorrain, 

 by Frank Benton. 



Comb Foundation— No. 3. 



„ „ Liepore, August, 1878. 



My Dear Friend :— You remember the 

 story of the beautiful Penthesilea, so wick- 

 edly condemned to death by Achilles under 

 the walls of sacred Ilium ? What a valiant 

 people were these Amazons ! From the 

 banks of the Thermodon their empire ex- 

 tended over half of Asia : an empire scarlet 

 with blood, when, shield on the arm and 

 javelin in the hand, they marched forth 

 yellow with gold, when they gathered the 

 corn-ears and poured the abundance on the 

 conquered lands. And to think that not a 

 man had any part in this splendor ! Women 

 nothing but women who but once a year vis- 

 ited the neighboring nations, and this with 

 the sole aim of perpetuating their race ; af- 

 ter which each one returned home. 



Alas ! though our bees have the courage 

 of these Amazonian daughters, they have 

 not all their wisdom. Let us see. Swarming- 

 time is near, or perhaps already at hand ; 

 there are young queens to mate ; drones are 

 needed, indeed, but 1 fully believe that 

 among ten to twenty drones each queen 

 would find a mate worthy of her and in 

 every way capable ; if not, the adjoining 

 hive would be able to supply the deficiency 

 which for the vigor of the coming progeny 

 would only be beneficial. But this is a mere 

 supposition. Every colony, left to itself, 

 raises and feeds— notice particularly this 

 last, feeds— several hundreds, sometimes 

 several thousands of these gentlemen, that 

 are there for four months, strutting over the 

 combs filled with sweets, awaiting philo- 

 sophically the turn of fortune by which a 



