206 THE HONEY-BEE. 



able to feed without the possibility of being drowned. 

 The outer lid has to be raised ; the liquid food is 

 then poured into the trough, and is gradually drawn 

 in and consumed. There is a danger in open troughs 

 or pans, especially of zinc, which must not be over- 

 looked, and that is the turning acid of the food by 

 great exposure to the air, and the difficulty of 

 thorough cleanliness without the waste of a good 

 deal of food. 



Of these various plans, the bottle is by far the 

 cheapest, and, with a little care, it is quite effectual. 

 Various makers of bee-apparatus have introduced 

 slight modifications in their method, tending to 

 convenience and safety. 



The two special seasons when it may be advisable 

 to give supplies, are the spring and autumn. When, 

 at the end of February or early in March, some 

 warm days have promoted activity in the hive, and 

 its inhabitants are coming forth for flight after their 

 long winter imprisonment, and are going in search 

 of pollen and other food, it is desirable to examine 

 the internal condition of affairs, so as to ascertain 

 whether unwonted activity means scantiness of stores, 

 and the need of searching outside for food. Should 

 the supply of sealed honey be almost exhausted, it 

 will be necessary to give a moderate, but continuous, 

 quantity of syrup to avert starvation. For the reason 

 previously mentioned, it is well not to err on the 

 side of too great liberality. Let the bees have little 

 more than enough for their probable daily wants 

 say, for a strong stock, about three ounces a day. 



It is also important not to fill large bottles with 

 syrup, otherwise there will be danger of the liquid 



