18ti4 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



411 



"No, Leslie, I have not. I think I must very 

 soon, if I ever get out of the soap business." 



"Well, I examined my two colonies this 

 morning, and I found they were short of honey, 

 and I came over to tell you about it, thinking 

 that, perhaps, some of yours might also be 

 short without your being aware of it. Suppose 

 we go out and look at a few colonies." 



" Very well, Leslie. I will go and light the 

 smoker. Well, here; I will open this one near- 

 est the honey-house. This one had 27 lbs. last 

 fall, and, just look! they haven't more than 

 one pound of honey. Why! I am surprised.'" 



"That is about as I expected you would find 

 them, since looking over mine." 



"And this next colony had 30 lbs., and they 

 are nearly in a starving condition. Did you 

 ever see the beat of this? And this next one 

 also had 30 lbs., and they are dead. Starved? 

 I declare, Leslie, I am afraid my out-apiaries 

 are in bad condition. I must look after them 

 at once. I had no thoughts that any of my bees 

 vpould starve this spring, as I fed liberally last 

 fall. But the mild winter we have had gave 

 the bees opportunity to get to the food at almost 

 any time: and, the colonies being very strong 

 in the fall, they have consumed more feed than 

 usual." 



"What are you goiug to do in this case, 

 Manum ?" 



"Well, I have either got to sink or swim; 

 that is, I must either feed the bees at once or 

 let them die. Hut I have got the bees, and 

 have wintered them through so far; and al- 

 though I do not expect a paying crop of honey 

 this year, it won't do to let them starve now; 

 though if they are all in this condition it will 

 cost me .^^'OO or more for sugar to carry them 

 through until raspberries bloom, when they 

 may by that time be self-supporting." 



"You propose feeding them sugar, do you, 

 Manum ?" 



" Well, I have a few combs of honey at each 

 apiary, as well as some partly filled sections, 

 and shall use them as far as they go." 



"How will you manage to feed them from 

 the sections? Will you give them a whole 

 clampful, or lay the sections on top of the 

 honey-board?" 



"No, I will do neither. I don't like to place 

 the clamps of sections on for the bees to clean 

 out as they are placed during the working sea- 

 son, because the bees are very liable to soil the 

 combs too much, which would ruin them for 

 further use. Nor do I approve of piling sec- 

 tions on the honey-board and then making an 

 opening for the bees to come up to them, be- 

 cause in that case the opening thus made per- 

 mits the escape of much heat from below. In 

 fact, it causes a direct draft through the hive, 

 from the entrance up through. At this season 

 such drafts are very injurious, as the colonies 

 need all the heat they can generate; and for 

 this same reason I do not open my hives any 



oftener than I can help, in early spring. I 

 shall, therefore, give them these partly filled 

 sections inside the brood -chamber, and I will 

 get some novv and put them in this hive. There, 

 I take out two of these outside empty combs 

 and fill in with sections, and with this old steel- 

 wire hair- brush I break the cappings before 

 putting the sections down in place; and by 

 to-morrow they will be empty, and should bo 

 removed before they become soiled, and more 

 may be put in if required. When feeding sugar 

 syrup I use the new feeder, which prevents the 

 escape of any heat from below. I think, how- 

 ever, that I shall try a new device for feeding 

 outside of the hives. There are some bee-keep- 

 ers who prefer feeding in the open air for stim- 

 ulative feeding; and as I have a machine that 

 I think will answer the purpose, I propose try- 

 ing it. Here it is, a 

 tin can holding 

 about one gallon. 

 These cans are my 

 chicken water-pots, 

 and are the nicest 

 arrangement I ever 

 saw. for that pur- 

 pose. As you see, 

 by hanging them 

 up on these stakes, 

 just so they will 

 clear the ground, 

 the chickens or old 

 fowls can't get into 

 them to dirty the 

 water, and there is 

 always water in 

 the dish where they 

 can step up to it 

 and drink. And 

 now I propose to 

 try them for bee-feeders, simply for spring 

 feeding. You see, I can hang them up any- 

 where in the apiary, or as far from it as I 

 please; and to fill them, simply invert the' feed- 

 er, unscrew the cap, pour in the feed, screw 

 back the cap, and hang it up; and as fast as 

 the bees take the feed, the cup will fill up." 



'Are these water-pots or feeders something 

 of your invention, Manum ? " 



"No, Leslie. Henry Isham is the inventor." 

 He made them for his White Wonder chickens. 

 and I dare say he never thought to use them 

 for bee-feeders; hence I can claim only the idea 

 of using them for feeders." 



"Manum, have you got any wood screws 

 longer than those ordinarily used? I want a 

 few for a special use." 



"No, Leslie; but I shall soon have. I have 

 had very many calls for longer screws of late, 

 and I have decided to keep them in stock. 

 They will be -^^ longer than the common ones. 

 The price will be the same for both lengths; 

 and as I first introduced wood screws for use in 

 the apiary, everybody has a right to use them. 



CIIICKKN WATER-FKKDEir 

 AND BEK FEEDEli. 



