OcTiiMKK, 1! 



(I li K A N I N G S IN B 1-; 1': C U L T U K K 



iiiicl of eouise tho dmible-walled hives will 

 vary in weight according to tlie kind of 

 packing used. The Buckeye liive, Avlieii 

 packed with planer shavings, weighs about 

 HSV(> pounds without the chaff tray or cover. 

 Hy weighing an empty hive without frames, 

 and then adding one pound for each comb, 

 one can determine with sufficient accuracy 

 the weight of whatever hive is used. 



In weighing the hive, if platform scales 

 are not available, the Aveight can be deter- 

 mined with sufficient accuracy bj^ using or- 

 dinary sjiring scales, bj'' hooking under one 

 end of the hive at a time and lifting it 

 c'HOugh to obtain the reading. Adding to- 

 gether the weights obtained by weighing 

 each end of the hive tlie approximate weiglit 

 of the entire hive is obtained. 



ill order to be sure that there are at least 

 ;-iU pounds of honej'- in the hive, the total 

 weight of the ten-frame standard hive with 

 a metal cover and an inner cover should be 

 not less than (38 to 70 pounds. An eight- 

 frame hive similarly equipped and provision- 

 ed should weigh not less than 62 to 65 

 ])ounds. Any that weigh less should be fed 

 until the weight of the hive shows that it 

 has at least 30 pounds of stores. Or, if 

 frames of honey are available, one or two 

 combs that contain but little honey can be 

 taken out and frames of honey inserted in 

 tlieir place. ''^'^3 



How to Make Syrup for Winter Feeding. 



For feeding at this season syrup should be 

 made of about two parts of granulated sugar 

 to one part of water, either by weight or 

 by measure. Nothing but granulated sugar 

 should be used for this purpose, especially in 

 the North where the bees are confined to 

 their hives for long periods during the win- 

 ter without a cleansing flight. Apparently 

 it makes but little if any difference whether 

 cane sugar or beet sugar is used for winter 

 feeding. It is well to count on using about 

 as many pounds of sugar as the colony is 

 lacking in its full supply of stores, not 

 counting the water used in making the syrup. 

 For instance, if a colony lacks 10 pounds of 

 liaving enough hone.y, it will need about 10 

 pounds of sugar. Ten pounds of sugar and 

 five pounds of water will make fifteen 

 ])Ounds of syrup; but, since there will be 

 some loss in the process of feeding, it will 

 be safer to give such colonies the full 15 

 ]iounds of syrup than less. 



To make up this amount of syrup, j)nt five 

 pints of w%ater into a vessel and heat it to 

 the boiling point, then pour in ten pounds 

 of sugar and stir until all of the crystals are 

 completely dissolved. To reduce the ten- 

 dency of this thick syrup to crystallize in 

 the combs or in the feeders, dissolve a little 

 over a half teaspoonful of tartaric acid in 

 a little water ajid add this to the syrup or 

 put the acid in the hot water before adding 

 the sugar. Since the action of the acid to 

 jirevent granulation takes place only while 

 the svrup is hot, it is well to bring the tem- 

 ]>erature of the syrup to the boiling point 



and hold it there for iU or 15 minutes; but 

 great care sliould be taken not to scorcli the 

 syrup, foi' scoridied syrup in many cases 

 would t)c fatal to tlu' bees during winter. 

 How to Feed the Syrup. 



To make a feeder, use an ordinary ten- 

 j)()und friction-top honey pail. Punch about 

 lOU small holes in the cov-er by means of a 

 small nail and hammer. When the syrup has 

 cooled enough so that it does not burn the 

 hands, the pail may be filled with the warm 

 syrup and the lid put in place. It should 

 then be inverted and ])laced directly on the 

 top of tlie frames in the hive or above an 

 escape-board having the bee-escape removed 

 so that the bees can have access to the feed- 

 er. When the bee-escape board is not used 

 a hole the size of the pail should be cut in 

 a piece of burbqi so that the hive can be 

 covered except where the feeder stands. An 

 empty hive-body should be put on top of the 

 hive, and the pail of warm syrup should be 

 packed with old clothing or some kind of 

 packing material until the bees have had 

 time to take the syrup down. 



In the extreme northern part of the United 

 States and in Canada where the bees are 

 confined to their hives for long periods with- 

 out a cleansing flight, they will winter much 

 better if fed 10 to 15 pounds of sugar syrup 

 as above described, even though they have 

 plenty of honey. If this is fed some time 

 during October the bees will put it where it 

 will be used first during the winter, and, 

 since good sugar syrup does not contain in- 

 digestible matter, it will be better than hon- 

 ey for winter stores that may have been 

 gathered late. 



Winter Protection. 



For wintering outdoors the hives should be 

 protected from the prevailing winds. If they 

 are not already located in a protected place, 

 some kind of windbreak should be provided. 

 Except in the extreme South it pays well 

 also to pack the bees for winter, thus giving 

 them greater protection than that afforded 

 by a single thickness of lumber ip single- 

 walled hives. Those who use the double- 

 walled hives having the packing already 

 built in should see that the top packing is 

 put in place and pressed down at the edges 

 to prevent the escape of heat between the 

 chaff tray and the upper portion of the 

 hive. It is well, also, to fill the hive-stand 

 with forest leaves and see that the hive fits 

 the hive-stands snugly so that the wind will 

 not sweep through under the hive. Single- 

 walled hives can be packed in a store box, 

 if one can be found that is the right size 

 to allow from two to four inches below, 

 three to six inches on the sides and eight or 

 ten inches on the top for packing. Care 

 should be taken to fit the bridge connecting 

 the hive entrance with the opening in the 

 outer box, so that the packing material may 

 not creep into this tunnel and close it during 

 the winter. A good roof must be provided 

 so that no water can leak through to wet 

 (Continued on page 680.) 



