THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



211 



ing careful not to give too much 

 room so as to discourage the bees 

 at the start. In a week or more, 

 add two more wide frames, one at 

 each side and so on till the full 

 capacity of the top of the hive is 

 used, putting the empty sections on 

 the outside always. As 1 use cliaff- 

 hives largely, this gives me room 

 for twelve wide frames should 

 occasion require, but as a rule from 

 six to eight are all that are used. 

 As soon as the first are completed 

 they are taken off, the other wide 

 frames crowded to the centre and 

 the empty sections put at the out- 

 side as before. As the season 

 draws toward a close, calculations 

 are made so as to get all as nearly 

 completed as possible. 



Now no empty sections are put 

 on so that at the end of the season 

 the number on each hive is about 

 the same as it was at the begin- 

 ning of the season all of which are 

 generally finished. 



FEEDING BEES. 



QUKSTIOXS BY A IMIIAPER. 



Owing to drought and unfavorable 

 ■weather generally during the greater 

 part of the past honey season, much 

 feeding will be necessary this fall in 

 order to save thousands of colonies of 

 bees. In view of the above fact, will 

 you kindly answer the following ques- 

 tions? 



1. When would you begin feeding? 



2. How fast would you advise to 

 feed, that is, would you take two weeks 

 time to feed a colony 12 or more 

 pounds, or do you think it better to 

 get the above amount in the combs as 

 soon as possible, say in two days? 



3. What is the best food for bees to 

 winter upon? 



4. Would you advise mixing a small 

 amount of honey with sugar-syrup, say 

 one part of honey to three parts sugar? 



Do you think such a mixture would 

 De detrimental to the bees? 



5. What feeder have you found 

 most convenient and practical? 



Do you ft'ed at the entrance, over 

 the frames or inside the hive? 



6. How much food does a colony 

 require whether wintered in or out of 

 doors? 



ANSWERS BY A. E. MANDM, 



1. I usually begin feeding the 

 last week in September or the 1st 

 of October, as then the brood is 

 generally all hatched when there is 

 a plenty of room for the bees to 

 store the feed, and then again, at 

 that time the breeding season is 

 over ; hence the feed given them 

 does not seem to stimulate brood- 

 ing. Were bees fed earlier in the 

 season it might stimulate breeding 

 and cause the bees to consume 

 much of the honey they have stored, 

 which I prefer to save until spring 

 for early breeding. 



2. I prefer to feed very rapidly ; 

 as fast as the bees will take it. 

 If they need 12 lbs. I would feed 

 it all at once, if I had feeders suf- 

 ficient to do 'SO. The faster they 

 are fed the better, that they may 

 have time to evaporate and cap it 

 over ready for winter. 



3. I prefer granulated sugar 

 syrup, though I do not worr\' when 

 my bees have a plenty of well-ri- 

 pened clover or basswood honey, 

 and it \(i\y rarelj^ happens that 

 they do not have, as I prefer to have 

 such stored in the sections, which 

 is not a difficult matter with my 

 method of management. 



4. No, I would not advise the 

 mixing of honey with the syrup ; 

 not that I think it would be detri- 

 mental to the welfare of the colony 

 if fed fast enough so as not to 

 stimulate breeding, but that it 

 might induce robbing. The scent of 

 honey when fed in the fall is quite 

 apt to greatly excite the bees, — 

 much more so than sugar. If I had 

 honey that I wished to feed back, I 

 would prefer to save it until spring 

 and then feed a little at a time, or 

 if I wished to winter on honey, I 

 would feed at sundown and feed no 

 more than the bees would store 

 during the night. 



4. I prefer the Simplicity feeder 

 holding one pound of syrup. Then 



