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ai.OO a Vear— Sample Copy Free. 



CHICAGO, 'ILL., SEPTEMBER 2, 1897. No. 35. 



37th Year. 



Feeding Bees for Stimulative Purposes. 



BT DR. E. GALLUP. 



I did not fully answer Mr. Deacon's inquiry, and as there 

 Is another who requests me to answer the question when to 

 feed, and how to feed for stimulating purposes, I will try to 

 give my views more fully. 



Bees are always ready to breed up at any season, either 

 winter or summer, when conditions are favorable in this 

 climate. I say " always," but I am mistaken in one case. I 

 had one stood Italian colony last fall that lay perfectly dor- 

 mant through December and January last winter. I exam- 

 ined them twice during that time, for I could not understand 



was profitable to stimulate. I had one super of 12 frauies 

 full of sealed honey, so I gave each colony a frame of this 

 honey, and stimulated them by breaking the cappings by 

 pressing the flat side of a case-knife against the comb and 

 drawing it across the comb. This is a very good way of stim- 

 ulating. It was so cool and windy that the bees would have 

 actually stood still. 



Again, we stimulate at any time during the summer If 

 there are only four or five days that the bees cannot work. We 

 do this by raising the front end of the hive and pouring diluted 

 honey in at the entrance, just at night. It requires only a 

 very little, providing they have old honey in the hive. Many 

 times in the East bees are about ready to swarm, and there 

 come eight or more days of cool, rainy weather, and the bees 

 will tear down queen-cells, and even kill oflf their drones. A 

 little stimulation at such a time will keep all things moving 

 right along. I never allow a colony or nucleus to become dis- 

 couraged for lack of a little stimulation ; even iu this climate 

 I consider it poor policy. 



If we hive a new swarm, and the weather is not just right 

 for the secretion of nectar, we always feed freely, as it re- 

 quires plenty in order to build comb at any time in the season. 



Apiary of Masters Qeorge and Wayne Robey, of Neosho Co., Kansas. 



why there was not a bee flying from that colony, when other 

 colonies were at work the same as In summer, yet that colony 

 was strong enough in numbers, but not an egg did that queen 

 lay during those two months. They were on hand at swarm- 

 ing-time In March, and have proved as profitable a colony as I 

 had In the lot. 



In the spring of 1886 we bad nearly two months that It 



This has been an exceptionally fine season with me— 

 almost a continuous flow of nectar. Still, I fed eight two- 

 quart jars of hooey for stimulating purposes. One almost 

 always has some inferior quality of extracted honey that is not 

 fit to sell. Dilute it with half water for stimulating. I had 

 six old, rotten box-hives of black bees given to me, and I put 

 honey-comb and all into the sun extractor, after driving out 



