PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W. T FALCONER MANFG CO. 



VOL. VII. 



fVPRIL, 1897. 



NO. 4. 



Some Questions Answered. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 

 CONTRACTION AND STIMULATIVE 

 V FEEDING. 



A correspondent sends nie some 

 questions and says, "Please answer 

 them in the American Bee Keeper." 



He wishes to know if weak colonies 

 will brood up faster if the brood cham- 

 ber is contracted and the colony stim- 

 ulated by feeding, than they would if 

 left to themselves, they having the 

 whole brood chamber. There can be 

 only one answer to this question, and 

 that is, if rightly attended to a colony 

 which is weak can be made to thrive 

 very much better with stimulative 

 feeding and a contracted brood cham- 

 ber, than it would if left to itself. But 

 what is meant by "rightly attended" 

 to ? " It means, if you undertake it at 

 all, to do it in a manner that will 

 bring success. How do you bring suc- 

 cess in any undertaking? Bv finding 

 out how to do the work and then do it 

 with an energy and " push " that will 

 bring good results, if such can be ob- 

 tained along that line. Now apply 

 this to the weak colony. Don't touch 

 it unless you are willing to give the 

 matter just as good attention as you 

 would the best horse you ever see, 



which you wish to take first premium 

 on at the State Fair. You know that 

 means looking after that horse every 

 day, and spending all the time on it 

 that is necessary to attain the desired 

 object. Now for the bees. Look 

 them over, and with a close fitting di- 

 vision board shut them on as few 

 frames as you think they can cover 

 and do it well, having those frames 

 next to one side of the hive. Cover 

 all up as snugly and as warmly as 

 possible, and this part is thus left till 

 they crowd out into the vacant side of 

 the hive, thus showing that they need 

 more room. Now for the feeding. 

 How shall this be done ? There are 

 various ways, but after having tried 

 all which I have seen recommended 

 I believe this to be the best: Leave 

 the division board up from the bottom 

 board a bee space, or bore a hole 

 through it near the bottom, the form- 

 e- being preferable, and in the vacant 

 side of the hive hang a frame or 

 frames having honey in them. It is 

 well to slightly break the sealing on 

 the side of the first comb next the di- 

 vision board, and it is also well to 

 shake a few bees on this comb at the 

 time you are fixing the little colony. 

 These bees, after filling themselves. 



