1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



183 



pood a man as father Langstroth should 

 have had hurled at him the abuse and cal- 

 umn3' that was heaped on him by liie early 

 apicultural writers from 1868 to 1872. But 

 now that the smoke of battle has cleared 

 awaj', calm judgment without prejudice 

 has shown thiit Langstroth was not antici- 

 pated; and the whole apicultural world is 

 glad to do honor to the man who made the 

 first great invention to simplify hive ma- 

 nipulation and to make possible the im- 

 mense progress that has been made in 

 these latter days.— Ed] 



WHAT KIND OF FOOD TO GIVE COLONIES 

 SHORT OF STORES. 



Some Interesting Experiments Showing Candied 

 Honey to be the Best Winter Food. 



BV JOHN FIXTER. 



Owing to the past unfavorable season for 

 hooey-gathering in the Ottawa Valle3^ 

 many letters have been received fr m peo- 

 ple who have only a few colonies of bees, 

 stating that, when carrying their bees into 

 winter quarters, they had discovered there 

 did not seem to be a sufficient store of hon- 

 ey in the hive to carry the bees through the 

 winter. To gain information as t ) the best 

 method of overcoming this difficulty the fol- 

 lowing experiment was tried with six strong 

 colonies of bees. 



Four frames of sealed honey were taken 

 from each of the six colonies, leaving the 

 cluster on the four remaining frames. The 

 four frames were left in the center of the 

 hive with a division-board at each side, 

 and some light packing was placed between 

 the division-boards and the sides of the 

 hive. The wooden covers were removed, 

 and a large propolis quilt made of heavy 

 canvas was placed over the top of each hive. 

 Over the top of the propolis quilt extra 

 packing was placed to keep in the heat, 

 absorb moisture, and prevent drafts or up- 

 ward ventilation. The bo tom-boards were 

 left on as they came from the bee yard, 

 leaving the entrances wide open 



The experiment was as follows: 



1. Two colonies received maple sugar of 

 the best quality. 



2. Two co.onies received candied honey 

 and sugar. 



3. Two colonies received partly filled sec- 

 tions of honey. 



Each colony when put on this test weighed 

 31 pounds, and each was given 5 pounds of 

 its p:irticular food to start with. The ex- 

 periment lasted from November 18, 1902, to 

 March 22, 1903. 



The two colonies fed on maple sugar con- 

 sumed 11/2 pounds each. They were ex- 

 amined every two weeks, and water added 

 to the sugar throu2:h holes in the tops of 

 the cakes, keeping it soft and moist. 



The two colonies fed on partly filled sec- 

 tions of honey consumed during the same 

 time 1434 pounds each. There was, for 

 several reasons, considerable waste in this 



test; and if partly filled sections could be 

 sold even at a reduced price it would be ad- 

 visable to do so instead of feeding back. 



The two colonies that were given candied 

 honey consumed 10;'4 pounds each. The 

 candied honey was moistened at intervals, 

 which made it easier for the bees to suck 

 up 



Candied honey is made as follows: Take 

 good thick clover honey and heat (not boil) 

 it until it becomes very thin; then stir in 

 fine granulated sugar. After stirring in 

 all the sugar the honpy will absorb, t.ke it 

 out of the utensil in which it has been mix- 

 ed, and thoroughly knead it with the hands. 

 The kneadiny:' makes it more pliable and 

 soft, so that it absorbs (or, rather, takes 

 up) more sugar. The kneading operation, 

 with the adding of fine sugar, should be 

 continued until the dough is so stiff as to 

 be quite hard to work. It should then be 

 allowed to stand for a day or two; and if 

 at the f nd of that time it is so soft as to run 

 or to be sticky, a little more sugar should 

 be kneaded in. It should be cut into con- 

 venie it-sized cakes, and placed on top of 

 the frames in such a way that the iDces 

 can get at it easily. 



The colonies in all three tests came 

 through in excellent condition. Any one of 

 the three methods may be safelj' followed; 

 but I would sironglj' recommend examining 

 and weighing all bees the first week in 

 September. At that time every colony 

 should have a good laying queen, and 

 should weigh over 50 pounds. In seasons 

 when there is no fall flow of honey, all col- 

 onies in Langstroth hives -weighing less 

 than 50 pounds in September should be fed- 

 up to that weight at least. 



The best method for getting colonies up 

 to the required weight is, when extracting, 

 to save several full well-sealed combs, then 

 remove some of the light ones out of the 

 hives and replace them with the heavier 

 full frames. If no honey is available, feed 

 sugar syrup. This latter plan is a rather 

 tedious one, and great care must be taken 

 not to daub the hives or appliances, as rob- 

 bing at this season of the year is very easi- 

 ly started, and very hard to stop. 



Sugar syrup may be made as follows: 

 Use the best grade of granulated sugar, 

 two parts to one of water, by weight. The 

 water should first be brought to a boil, 

 then the pan or vessel set back on the stove 

 so that the boiling will not continue, but 

 the water be kept sufficiently hot to dis- 

 solve all the sugar. 



The sugar should be poured in slowly, 

 and thoroughly stirred until all is dissolv- 

 ed. The syrup should then be fed in a 

 lukewarm condition. 



Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Can. 



[These experiments are interesting and 

 valuable, more especially as they confirm 

 the result of similar experiments made by 

 others. 



It would have been interesting to know 

 what the consumption of stores would have 



