848 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



0aR QaEg3ifi0N-B0?^, 



With Replies from our best Authorities on Bees. 



All queries sent in for this department should be briefly 

 stated, and free from any possible ambiguity. The question 

 or questions should be written upon a separate slip of paper, 

 and marked, " For Our Question-Box." 



Question No. 85.— (a) ShouM xumpfor tvinter^ise 

 be given in n large feeder all at once, nr in small quan- 

 tities, about a pint daily, until supplied 't (b) WiR the 

 former be as well ripeneiJ fur thr been as the latter? In 

 either case, will bees winter as )rrU on the one as on 

 the other? 



a. About a pint daily, b. No. 



Mus. L. Harrison. 

 I prefer to feed as rapidly as possible. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 

 a. All at once, if possible, b. T( should be thick 

 enough not to need ripening-. Dadant & Son. 



All at once. Yes. Yes. except as the tirst gives 

 time for capping, which is desirable. A. J. Oook. 



a. In feeding for winter, I use feed as fast as the 

 bees will take it. b. Tf your syrup is right, no rip- 

 ening is necessary. Geo. Grimm. 



Neither; about 3 to 3 pounds each day is better. It 

 will be better ripened, and especially better sealed 

 over, than when fed all at one time. 



H. R. BOARDMAN. 



Necessity often requires that we feed rapidly. 1 

 believe it would be slightly better if fed a little 

 slower, but I have not tested the matter in winter- 

 ing. P. H. Elwood. 



When feeding honey for winter stores we feed as 

 fast as we can, and we have no trouble to get a col- 

 ony to take a gallon a day— 4 feeders full— all on at 

 once. E. France. 



After considerable experience along this line, I 

 prefer to feed about :? lbs. a day, and I think I get 

 better results from this than by feeding either a 

 greater or smaller quantity. G. M. DooTjIttle. 



a. Yes, I should prefer a large feeder, so as to 

 give all at once. By using syrup made as per di- 

 rections given in No. 83 it will be well ripened, as 

 such syrup weighs nearly 13 pounds to the gallon. 

 Paul L. Viallon. 



a. All at once, but early enough so it can be ripen- 

 ed, b. Yes, probably, if fed early. I don't believe 

 bees will winter as well on late-fed syrup; and 

 feeding gradually (if the feeding be flnished in each 

 case at the same time) is really feeding earlier. 



C. C. Miller. 



For winter stores I prefer to put on at least3 jars, 

 and fill them up as soon and as fast as emptied, un- 

 til the colony is supplied. If it were my object to 

 stimulate breeding, 1 should give it a pint or less 

 dally; no danger from heavy feeding if food is 

 wholesome. Chas. F. Muth. 



a. I prefer to give it all at once. b. The syrup 

 should not re(iuire riiiening. According to good 

 authority, bees partly change cane sugar to grape 

 sugar in the ripening process. As cane sugar is 

 better for wintering, unnecessary ripening would 

 seem to be detrimental. Certainly, they winter well 

 both ways. .Iames A. Green. 



a. It should be given in a large feeder, all at once. 

 Small quantities daily induce breeding, which is 

 objectionable, as it consumes food for the produc- 



tion of useless bees; and young bees are not as 

 good to winter with as old ones. b. You will see by 

 my answers to questions number 83 and 83 that I 

 feed the syrup ripe. Bees will winter the best on 

 thi(;k ripe syrup. James Heddon. 



Give it as fast as they will take it evenings, having 

 it only a little thinner than honey, so that but little 

 ripening is needed. In the case referred to, in re- 

 ply to query 815, I remember that I usually fed a 

 barrel of sugar each evening, late, to prevent rob- 

 bing, and 1 think I remember one hive storing over 

 30 pounds in 34 hours. Of course, there was no fool- 

 ing, these making no unnecessary wax nor rearing 

 brood when it was not wanted. I had not the least 

 trouble about unripe honey, and 1 could not be mis- 

 taken about my bees wintering better on this feed 

 than those did that gathered their own stores. 



K. Wilkin. 



The testimony seems to be for feeding all 

 at once ; and if one w islied to make a limit- 

 ed (juantity of stores go as far as possible, I 

 believe I should favor feeding all at once. 

 One may feed quite a large quantity of 

 sugar toa colony by giving them a pound of 

 syrup daily, and not have it make very 

 much showing. I remember once that I fed 

 a colony that was about destitute, in Au- 

 gust, syrup to the amount of 20 pounds of 

 good sugar. Of course, they stopped going 

 to the fields unless it was for pollen, and de- 

 voted their time and energies to brood-rear- 

 ing ; but when winter came they had very 

 little more than when the feeding was com- 

 meneetl. Then 1 had to give them a big lot 

 all at once, to fill up their combs for winter. 

 Perhaps friend IJoardman has got pretty 

 near the truth of it when he says two to 

 three pounds per day, especially if the colo- 

 ny is too weak in bees. 



Question No. 86. —Have' you ever practiced outdoor 

 feeding? If so, have you found it profitable? If not, 

 why? Oive your reasons briefly. 



Yes. In the early spring. Yes, when judiciously 

 done. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No; but just at the present time I am peculiarly 

 interested in that subject. O. O. Poppleton. 



Yes. I am in doubt about it, on account of the 

 activity it induces. I wish I knew for certain. 



H. R. BOARDMAN. 



This seems to mean feeding for the purpose of 

 having honey stored. That is one of the things 

 which I have never been guilty of. E. E. Hasty. 



Yes. No. The weaker colonies get little of the 

 feed; the neighbors* colonies get much of it, and it 

 creates a row generally. G. M. Doolittle. 



No; because I don't like to feed the neighboring 

 bees, and the colonies needing the feed most would 

 very likely be the ones that would get the least. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 



I have not practiced it enough to answer intelli- 

 gently; but I think, from what I did fped, that it 

 can be done profitably under favorable circum- 

 stances. R. Wilkin. 



No. We don't believe in it. It attracts robbers, 

 and you are as liable to feed your neighbors' bees 

 as your own. Besides, the strong and rich colonies 

 take more than the needy ones. Dadant & Son. 



