216 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



of his bees. He had laid up quite a supply 

 for the coming year. 



Some speculating heads began to suspect 

 that perhaps Mr. Olmstead was running some 

 sort of pollen-gathering institution in opposi- 

 tion to the bees, perhaps even gathering hon- 

 ey. Finally he, in an unselfish manner, dis- 

 closed his secret, saying that he had gathered 

 the pollen with his own hands from the corn- 

 tassels by going around in the field with a 

 boiler-cover, holding the same beneath the 

 tassels, giving them a vigorous shake. A por- 

 tion of the dislodged pollen would, of course, 

 land on the cover. Thus he had proceeded, 

 and gathered, I think, two gallons of the pol- 

 len, which he had mixed with honey and put 

 up in cans for future use. Mr. F. Benton sug- 

 gested keeping the pollen in the dry state. 



It might be well for bee-keepers not to over- 

 look the fact that Mr. Olmstead had found it 

 very profitable to feed his bees on this self- 

 gathered pollen, and that the German bee- 

 keepers practice a similar method. All bee- 

 books and other instructors advise stimulative 

 brood-rearing by feeding small quantities of 

 honey or syrup ; but less frequently do we 

 hear of feeding pollen or any substitute. There 

 can be little doubt that a great deal could be 

 gained by doing so in some instances. For 

 localities that furnish little natural pollen ear- 

 ly in the spring, it might prove a grand thing. 

 Of course, flour is sometimes offered to bees ; 

 but in the manner it is offered, it is laborious 

 for the bees to gather it up, moisten it, and 

 pack it into their pollen-baskets. The weath- 

 er is unfavorable, oftentimes, and then the 

 bees can not profit by it. 



It may not be known to all, but for a great 

 many years Rev. Wygant, of Flacht, Germa- 

 ny, has very successfully used wheat flour and 

 honey, in the proportion of 1 to 10 or 15, which 

 mixture he poured into drone-combs and in- 

 serted these into his hives next to the brood. 

 Whole-wheat flour contains all elements nec- 

 essary to sustain human life in a well-propor- 

 tioned order. According to the analysis I 

 have, itis not so very much different front pol- 

 len. It will, therefore, make a very good and 

 cheap substitute. Mr. Benton recommended 

 pea flour as the very best of- all cereals. Would 

 it not be well for many who are concerned in 

 this stinmlative feeding to give this flour-and- 

 honey mixture a trial ? Wj-gant says a quan- 

 tity of one or two quarts may be given at a 

 time to a good populous colony, as the mix- 

 ture will not readily ferment. In this respect 

 it has the advantage over the milk-and-egg 

 food, which was also mentioned in our discus- 

 sion, but not fully discus.sed. As there was a 

 desire manifested to bring this milk diet be- 

 fore the bee-keepers in some of our journals, 

 give exact formulae, etc., I take this opportu- 

 nity to give an extract from a long article on 

 the " proper use of milk as a bee-food," which 

 appeared in No. 7 of the Bienen Zeitiing, 1897, 

 from the pen of Emil Hilbert, the originator 

 of the egg-and-milk diet. For more than 25 

 years Mr. Hilbert has practiced this, and, of 

 course, has discovered certain facts in regard 

 to it. These, as I find them in the article, I 

 will now give as briefly as possible : 



stimulative feeding with any kind of food is like a 

 double-edged sword in the hand of the careless and in- 

 experienced. E.specially is this so with the niilk-and- 

 egg preparations. One .should know the exact wants 

 and needs of his colonies, and then supply them. All 

 know that milk and eggs are subject to decomposition 

 — that thev easily sour and spoil. If more is fed at a 

 time than can be consumed immediately, it will make 

 trouble. Cleanliness is one of the great essentials. 



The milk of different animals is not all alike in its 

 compo!-ition. Goat's milk difTers in composition from 

 cow's milk. Even the milk of two different cows may 

 differ considerably ; so we need not expect cow's milk 

 to be exactly like bee-milk (for a sort of milk it is) the 

 young bees,'the larvte, are brought up on. Cow's milk 

 needs sugar to make it a balanced ration for the bees. 

 Feeding sweetened milk does not excite a colony like 

 feeding honey or even sugar .syrup; but it had bet- 

 ter be done at night. During the day, milk should not 

 be fed unless the temperature is high enough .so bees 

 can fly — not less than 55 degrees F. Should the mer- 

 cury sink below 4(j in the evening, do not feed. After 

 having been obliged to omit feeding on account of bad 

 weather, do not resume the practice until the bees 

 have a chance to fly. Bees have not the ability to sep- 

 arate milk from sugar, and for this reason it will not 

 do to feed alternately honey, then milk, for they would 

 store it mixed in the' cells. " The feeding of milk must 

 be suspended as soon as honey comes in above the im- 

 mediate needs of the bees, for the same reason. The 

 storing of the sweet milk must be prevented by all 

 means. Every colony fed with milk ought to have an 

 abundance of sealed .stores. Strong colonies are better 

 suited for it than weaker ones. Strong colonies can 

 be made to ju.st boom. Feeding milk puts them in 

 good condition to build comb. 



The milk should be fed warm —about 71! degrees F. 

 The bees will take it up quicker, and have the benefit 

 of the warmth besides, which is an advantage. The 

 food might be poured into combs, and moved up close 

 to the brood ; but with every opening of the hive there 

 is always a loss of warmth connected, and this should 

 be avoided if pos.sible. It is best to feed under the 

 brood-nest in shallow tin dishes, u.sing a varnished 

 wooden float. In preparing the food the fre.shly drawn 

 milk is brought to a boil to destroy all bacteria ; two 

 pounds of sugar is added to each quart of milk, al- 

 though, after the bees get used to this milk food, the 

 amount of sugar may be gradually decreased to half 

 that amount. If less' sugar is u.sed, the bees refuse to 

 take the food. Sugar is better suited for sweetening 

 the milk than honey. The slight degree of acid in the 

 latter curdles the milk. The sugar will dissolve better 

 in the hot milk when first moistened with hot water. 

 After the sugar is all dissolved, bring the mixture 

 again to a boil, and skim. If a little .salicylic acid is 

 added to the milk, .say as much as a pea to a quart, de- 

 composition will be greatly retarded. The acid will 

 have to be dissolved in half a thimbleful of alcohol, 

 and a spoonful of boiling water before adding it to the 

 milk ; but this addition is not .strictly nece.s.sary. 



Milk should not be fed until the bees are active in 

 the spring, perhaps in April. Begin with one-twenti- 

 eth to a tenth quart once a week, according to strength 

 of colony ; increa.se to two feeds per week. When, 

 during the latter part of May, a colony has nearly 

 reached its maximum .strength, occupying about 10 L. 

 frames with brood, the amount of feed may then be 

 as much as one-fifth quart, two or three times per 

 week. To feed more or oftener is not profitable but 

 dangerous. Foul brood is sometimes hinted at as the 

 result of imprudently feeding milk or egg. 



Thus far from Hilbert. 



Wygant thinks it best to add to the milk 

 some wheat flour in order to make the food 

 more the consistency of the milky bee-food or 

 the royal jelly. No doubt this feeding of bees 

 admits of considerable variation. Some years 

 ago, before I had had any experience with 

 bees except, perhaps, that I had hived a very 

 few swarms for some of my neighbors, I was 

 told once by an old fogy bee-keeper that he 

 used to feed his bees pancakes and molasses. 

 I was at once inclined to ridicule the pancake 

 theory ; at any rate, I didn't believe it. With 

 the present light I have, nothing will surprise 

 me any more. Bees have been said to eat 

 ducks, and I am not sure but also sheep — not 



