THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



479 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Filling Empty Combs with Syrup. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



I have employed three different 

 ways in filling empty combs with 

 sugar syrup, either ot which is prac- 

 tical in accordance with the number 

 to be filled. The object in fiUing 

 combs, is the feeding of the bees in 

 the most desirable manner, when they 

 need feeding. That combs well filled 

 with honey or syrup, ready to be 

 placed in the liive when needed, is the 

 best way to feed bees, for any and all 

 purposes, I think will be conceded by 

 all. For stimulating purposes I gen- 

 erally set such fllled combs one at a 

 time in the centre of the brood-nest, 

 as the bees can cover them, and the 

 queen can fill them with eggs. 



If it is thought that the bees are 

 stimulated to a greater degree when 

 they have to carry the syrup or honey 

 as they do from a feeder, the filled 

 combs can be placed at the outside of 

 the brood-nest as far from the bees as 

 the hive will admit of ; but after try- 

 ing all ways, I prefer the first given. 

 For winter feeding, the combs should 

 be fllled as full as possible, and enough 

 placed in the hive at one time for the 

 wants of the bees during the time 

 they remain inactive. Syrup, for 

 simulative feeding should be made by 

 placing two pounds of confectioner's 

 A sugar, or the same amount of gran- 

 ulated sugar in a tin vessel and pour- 

 ing one pound of boiling water upon 

 it, stirring till the sugar is dissolved. 

 For winter stores I use 5 pounds of 

 sugar to two pounds of water. Place 

 it upon the stove until it boils, then 

 skim. When cool, it is ready for the 

 combs. I formerly used a little vine- 

 gar or cream tartar in the syrup to 

 prevent crystalization, but latterly 1 

 have not, and do not see but it works 

 just as well. 



With this explanation we are ready 

 to proceed as to how to fill the combs. 

 If but few are to be filled, say 20 to 40, 

 all that is needed is an extractor can, 

 wash boiler, or any deep tin dish, in 

 which to lay the combs, and a large 

 tea or coffee-pot. Fix some sticks, or 

 some arrangement to keep the combs 

 2 or 3 inches up from the bottom of 

 the tin vessel, upon wliich the combs 

 are to be laid. Now from your tea- 

 pot filled with the syrup, pour a small 

 stream into the cells ot the comb, 

 holding the tea-pot a foot or more 

 above the comb, so the falling syrup 

 will force the air out of the cells so 

 they will be filled. Pass the stream 

 over the combs until all, or nearly all 

 the cells are filled on one side, when 

 the comb is to be turned over and the 

 other side filled in the same way. 

 VVhen filled hang the coKbs in your 

 tin comb bucket (or some convenient 

 tin thing which can be found about 

 the house) a little while to drain. 



when it is ready to be used in any 

 spot or place the same as a frame of 

 honey. In filling the comb the sides 

 of the can will keep the syrup from 

 spattering about the room, and what is 

 caught therein can be turned into the 

 tea-pot again, so that no loss will 

 occur. 



When 100 or more combs are to be 

 fllled, I use a watering-pot instead of 

 the tea-pot, upon the nozzle of which 

 is fixed a tin " rose," which slips on 

 to the nozzle the same as does that 

 used in spraying plants, but instead 

 of being like the " rose " used for 

 plants, which throws the several 

 streams out and from the pot, this 

 " rose " is fixed so that the under side 

 of it is a level flat piece of tin about 

 2 inches sauare, punched full of holes, 

 while all the rest of it is soldered up 

 tight. Have it beveled so that it will 

 stand just level when y<iur watering- 

 pot is inclined enough to pour a stream 

 when fllled one-half full of syrup, and 

 you have it just right. Now place 

 your empty comb in your can as be- 

 fore, flll your watering-pot with 

 syrup and pour away. Instead of 

 filling but one cell at a time, as was 

 done with the tea-pot, this will fill a 

 space of comb 2 inches square as 

 quickly as the other did one or two 

 cells, and where no very large amount 

 or wholesale feeding is to he done, I 

 prefer it to any other method of filling 

 the combs with syrup. 



If I have a large amount of feeding 

 to do, as I did in June, 1878, when 

 nearly my whole yard was in a starv- 

 ing condition, then either of the 

 above plans would be too slow to be 

 profitable. When such wholesale 

 feeding is to be done, I proceed in this 

 way : An extractor can is placed 

 upon a bench about 3 feet high, and 

 into this the syrup is poured. Pre- 

 vious to this I have procured a tin 

 dish made like a baking tin the exact 

 size of my frame, the bottom of which 

 is punched full of holes about 1-16 of 

 an inch in diameter, said holes being 

 about }4 inch apart each way. These 

 holes should be punched from the 

 inside of the dish, as should those in 

 the " rose " spoken of before, so that 

 the syrup will fall from each hole in a 

 separate stream. Place this dish full 

 of holes under the faucet to the can 

 containing the syrup. Immediately 

 under the dish place another can if 

 you have it (if not a wash tub will 

 answer), and you are ready for 

 business. 



If you wish to make the best time 

 possible, have an assistant to hand 

 you the empty combs and take the 

 fllled ones; roll up your sleeves and 

 hold the combs near the bottom of the 

 can, or low enough down so the air 

 will be forced out of the cells by the 

 falling syrup ; turn the faucet so the 

 required amount of syrup will be in 

 the dish all the time, and you can flll 

 the combs as fast as the assistant can 

 hand them to you and take those fllled 

 away. VVhen fllling a large lot of 

 combs, it is very handy to have a 

 special rack fixed close by your can, 

 upon which to hang your combs to 

 drain. By placing under it several 

 large sheets of tin set on an inclined 

 plain, all the drip is run back into the 



can again. In this way all syrup is 

 used up without waste, and if careful 

 no daubing of anything except the 

 utensils necessary to be used need 

 occur. 



By the above plan no expensive 

 feeders are to be bought or made, no 

 room in an already crowded shop has 

 to be taken to store such feeders, and 

 the best of it all is the feed is placed 

 in the combs just where the bees de- 

 sire it. 



P. S. I am asked what is the proper 

 space between the bottom bar of the 

 frames and the bottom board of ttie 

 hive. I prefer % of an inch, but 

 others prefer more. Anywhere from 

 % to % of an inch would be the de- 

 cision of many of our best apiarists. 



Borodino, N. Y., Sept. 14, 1883. 



Read at tbe M»lne Convention. 



The Coming Bee. 



WM. HOYT. 



In considering the above subject it 

 will be well to look at the object for 

 which bees are kept. A few claim, 

 that they keep bees, for the pleasure 

 that they derive from them, but the 

 majority of bee-keepers look to the 

 profits that may be derived from the 

 sale of honey, wax and bees. Now 

 the bees that will collect the most 

 honey, or produce the most bees, are 

 what we are looking for. 



How are we to obtain the desired 

 result? By judicious crossing of 

 different strains and races, and se- 

 lecting those that give the best satis- 

 faction to breed from. [-a The bee- 

 keeper has the 'advantage over stock 

 breeders, in not having to wait years 

 to obtain any desired point, for even 

 in our short summers, three or more 

 generations can be reared in a single 

 season. Every bee-keeper who has 

 had one-half dozen or more colonies 

 has noticed a great diflerence in the 

 amount of honey obtained from colo- 

 nies that to all outward appearances 

 were about the same in the spring, as 

 they had the same field in which to 

 work, of course the difference was in 

 the bees. Now, if honey is our object, 

 let us rear our queens from those that 

 produce the most honey, and we shall 

 not have to wait long before we shall 

 see a decided increase in our yearly 

 average per colony. 



As near as I can learn, bee-keepers 

 through this State, take one year with 

 another.do not average over 2-5 pounds 

 of honey per colony. 



Are you satisfied with this ¥ After 

 four years experience with the yellow 

 bees, I have become satisfied that 

 they are better honey gatherers than 

 the blacks. I do not wish to be un- 

 derstood that every colony showing 

 yellow bands will gather more honey 

 than the blacks, but that they will 

 average better. Perhaps a word in 

 regard to the different qualities 

 shown by the different races of bees 

 may help to determine some one in 

 their course of action in the future. 



The Italians are very prolific, in- 

 dustrious, beautiful and amiable, and 

 will gather honey in times of scarcity 

 when the blacks are idle, but prob- 



