212 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



I place as many of these on the 

 brood chamber as I wish to feed 

 number of pounds. I feed inside 

 the cap over the frames (my hive 

 is a chaff hive). 



6. I always winter my bees on 

 the summer-stand and 1 aim to 

 feed them up to 30 lbs. each but 

 35 lbs. is safer for those who do 

 not look after tlieir bees very close- 

 ly. Tills amount will last them 

 until the 1st of June. For indoor 

 wintering, I presume 20 to 25 

 lbs. will answer. 



ANSWERS BY DR. G. L. TINKER. 



1. In this locality I would begin 

 feeding not later than October. 



2. 1 would advise feeding not 

 more than one pint of extracted 

 honey or syrup per da}'. It will 

 not stimulate brood-rearing very 

 much, if at all. Bees show the 

 first signs of hibernation early in 

 October, after which there is no 

 disposition to breed except with 

 very young queens. One-half pint 

 is enough to feed at once. Feed 

 at noon and again in the early 

 evening, a little while before the 

 bees cease flying. 



3. Good natural stores. 



4. I would mix honey with syrup 

 if I had not enough honey to feed, 

 and I would feed syrup alone if I 

 could not procure honey. But if 

 I bought extracted honey, I should 

 make sure that it came from an 

 apiary free from foul brood ; if I 

 was not sure, I would boil every 

 bit of it for ten minutes before 

 feeding to the bees, and take the 

 greatest care that the bees got not 

 a taste until I did. In preparing 

 extracted honey to feed bees, it 

 should always be first diluted with 

 about one-fourth water, otherwise 

 it may candy and become veiy hard 

 in the combs. I believe that 

 sugar syrup alone is detrimental 

 to bees in winter, but when mixed 

 with honey and there is a quantity 



of bee bread in the combs ft is less 

 so. 



5. I have tried many kinds of 

 feeders, but have found none better 

 than a tin funnel placed in a hole 

 in the top or back end of the hive 

 which is to be slightly tipped back. 

 Do not like to feed at the entrance 

 or over the frames, unless it is 

 comb honey, but prefer the inside 

 of the hive on the bottom-board, 

 which has a shallow rim. 



I use a double cover to my 

 single-walled hives, the one next to 

 the bees being a board one-fourth 

 inch thick, with cleated ends, hav- 

 ing a rim nailed to the under side 

 with brads to make a bee space. 

 It is not painted and is left on all 

 winter. I select my poorest lum- 

 ber to make them of, often using a 

 number of narrow pieces. A small 

 anger hole is l)ored in the back end, 

 and a cork put in which is taken 

 out, and the funnel put in when 

 feeding. 



6. An ordinar}' colony, with 

 protection, requires only ten pints 

 of honey or syrup to winter it. 

 If the colony is very po]udous, I 

 give twelve pints ; but if the bees 

 are left in single-walled hives 

 without protection, more than 

 double the above amount is often 

 consumed. If a colon}'' of bees is 

 properly cared for it will not con- 

 sume over three pounds of honey, 

 from the fifteenth of October till 

 the first of February, when breed- 

 ing usually begins in a small way. 

 If well wintered, but very little 

 honey is consumed till extensive 

 breeding begins in April. 



ANSWERS BY P. R. RUSSETX. 



[In many localities the present sea- 

 son has been unfavorable for the pro- 

 duction of honey, and many colonies 

 will require to be fed in order to sur- 

 vive the coming winter. How and 

 when to feed in the best manner is 

 what we want to ivnow, and I will con- 

 tribute my mite towards the general 

 fund of information on the subject. 



