1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1175 



yoii oan veiituiv out more freely, with assur- 

 ance of success. 



FEEDING SUGAR SYRUP. 



Soiiie Interesting Experiments to Show 



the Small Increase in Weight as Vom- 



])are(l with the Amount of Syrup 



Given: Honey vs. Sugar Syrup 



for a Winter Food: Cellar 



AVintering. 



BY L. r. CLARK. 



Last September I had ten colonies of l^ees 

 entirely destitute of stores for winter. They 

 were in eight-frame Dovetailed hives, and 

 were fair average colonies of bees. Oi-tober 

 1st each was given ^0 lbs. of half-and-half 

 sugar syrup placed in bread-pans in upper 

 section-cases Avith green weeds for Hoats. 

 The weather being warm, two nights were 

 sufficient to take the 20 lbs. down and store 

 it in combs. Oct. 1.5th, or two weeks after, 

 they wei'e all weighed, and weights marked 

 on the back of the hive. It was found that 

 they averaged only 40 lbs. — bees, hives, and 

 stoi'es. The eight-frame Dovetailed hive, 

 with average empty combs, weighs 24 lbs.; 

 estimating the bees and brood at 6 lbs. gives 

 us ;{0 lbs. at commencement of feeding, and 

 revealed the fact that, in storing 20 lbs. of 

 syrup, together with two weeks' evaporating 

 and feed, they had reduced the feed a half, 

 or had only 10 lbs. of the 20 stored in the 

 com])s. This was discouraging to a beginner 

 in feeding; but now having 65 cents' worth 

 of feed invested in each colony it was deter- 

 mined to see them through, and so on Oct. 

 15th 10 lbs. more of | sugar and i water was 

 given each colony, making the cost of feed 

 $1.00 per colony. The weather having turn- 

 ed cool, the last 10 ll)s. was given by placing 

 cases with feed below the hive, as we didn't 

 wish to disturb the sealed covers that late. 

 They were left upon their summer stands 

 until Jan. 7, the weather being quite moder- 

 ate, no severe cold, and comparatively few 

 days warm enough for very many flights — 

 ideal weather for outside wintering. They 

 were now (Jan. 7) weighed again and placed 

 in a dark vegetable-cellar with bottom-boards 

 removed, covers sealed, upper hives over 

 joint between two lower ones, and an old 

 carpet hung down to prevent any disturb- 

 ance from light of lamp. The weighing on 

 Jan. 1 showed that they had consumed, from 

 Oct. 15 to Jan. 1, 11 weeks, an average of 10 

 lbs. each, and but few of the figures of 

 weights Oct. 15 on the back of the hive be- 



fore giving the last 10 ll)s. were changed, and 

 none varied over 1 lli. They were very qui- 

 et in the cellar, and s(^arcely any signs of 

 bees could be heard by putting the ear to the 

 carpet over them. March 7 they were care- 

 fully placed on their summer stands, and 

 weighed before they had any tlight. The 

 scales showed a loss in weight during the 

 two months in the cellar of only 2| lbs. av- 

 erage per colony; most of them lost 2 and 8 

 lbs., Imt two lost only one pound, and one 4 

 lbs. They appeared to be in good condi- 

 tion, and Hew without spotting their hives 

 any; but several colonies with all honey for 

 stores, and placed in the cellar at the same 

 time, lost from 4 to 7 lbs., and appeared to 

 be suifering for a flight, spotting their hives 

 somewhat. One colony was uiissed at the 

 first feeding, and was found, Oct. 15, to have 

 only 1 to 2 lbs. of honey. It was decided to 

 let them die, supj^osedly in a week or two; 

 but, to our surprise, t'uey held out for ten 

 weeks, and died the last week in December. 

 They were a fair-sized colony of bees; and 

 did they economize because they did not 

 have feed enough? The experience with 

 this feeding and wintering seems to indi(;ate 

 that sugar syrup is a better winter feed than 

 honey, and that it might be a good plan to 

 give each colony about 10 lbs. of syrup late 

 in October, even if they have stores of hon- 

 ey sufficient for winter. We know that, at 

 that time, they have empty combs to hold it, 

 and that it will be consumed ^frs^ or during 

 the severe part of the winter outdoors; or if, 

 in cellar, would probably last till set out. 



Hiawatha, Kan! 



[It is astonishing how the feed will disap- 

 pear with a colony short of stores fed in Sep- 

 tember. While, of course, a large percent- 

 age passes off in evaporation, some of it, un- 

 doubtedly, is used in brood-rearing. What- 

 ever is used for that purpose must necessari- 

 ly be a distinct gain to the colony. We very 

 often find it necessary to give another feed 

 along toward the last of October, in our lo- 

 cality; then the bees will have enough to 

 carry them through up to May following, 

 even when wintered outdoors. 



Your figures for the indoor consumption 

 of stores are very interesting, and show, 

 among other things, that you must have 

 pretty nearly ideal conditions in your cellar. 



It is not at all surprising that you found 

 sugar syrup much better for wintering than 

 honey. ^ That experience has been duplicated 

 time and time again. While we usually say 

 it does not pay to extract honey and then 

 feed su.gar, yet with some honey, at least, 

 such a procedure would undoubtedly be 

 profitable. — Ed.] 



PRESERVING FRUITS IN HONEY. 



The Commercial Possibilities ; a Collection 

 of Data Bearing on the Subject. 



BY FRANK M 'GLADE. 



Bear Sir: — Will you kindly advise me if you know 

 any thing about pre.serving fruits (currants, straw- 

 berries, etc.) in honeyy These goods are put on the 



