180 FEEDING. 



as soon as the flowers afford them a supply of 

 honey. 



There are two opinions upon the best mode of 

 administering the syrup : one party gives the pre- 

 ference to daily feeding, in small quantities ; the 

 other, to introducing a considerable quantity at once, 

 and repeating it as occasion may require. The 

 majority of apiarians favour the latter practice ; 

 among the number are REAUMUR, THORLEY, 

 ISAAC, MORRIS, &c. the latter gentleman obtained 

 an award often guineas from the Society of Arts, 

 for his method of feeding. The advocates of the 

 first method are KEYS, ESPINASSE, and some 

 others. Copious feeding is effected by filling the 

 cells on one side of a spare drone comb, laid flat 

 upon the floor of the hive ; or by pouring the 

 syrup into a dish, or an excavated floor board of 

 twice the usual thickness, covering the food with 

 short straws or pieces of reed, about half an inch 

 long, to prevent the bees from soiling themselves. 

 The stock being placed in an evening over the 

 whole, in the course of the night, or the following 

 morning, the bees will carry up the syrup, and 

 store it in unoccupied cells. Where it has been 

 ascertained that the bees have not stored a 

 sufficient quantity of honey to carry them through 

 the winter and ensuing spring, and it is determined 

 to furnish them with a supply in the autumn, I 

 think this method of copious feeding is the best. 



