84: THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



furnish a substitute. Dzierzon, early in the Spring, 

 observed his bees bringing rye-meal to their hives from a 

 neighboring mill, before they could procure any pollen 

 from natural supplies. The hint was not lost ; and it is now 

 a common practice in Europe, where bee-keeping is exten- 

 sively carried on, to supply the bees early in the season 

 with this article. Shallow troughs are set in front of the 

 Apiaries, filled'about two inches deep with finely ground, 

 dry, unbolted rye-meal. Thousands of bees, when the 

 weather is favorable, resort eagerly to them, and rolling 

 themselves in the meal, return heavily laden to their hives. 

 In fine, mild "weather, they labor at this work with great 

 industry ; preferring the meal to the old pollen stored in 

 their combs. They thus breed early, and rapidly recruit 

 their numbers. The feeding is continued till, the blos- 

 soms furnishing a preferable article, they cease to carry 

 off the meal. The average consumption of each colony is 

 about two pounds. 



Mr. F. Sontag, a German Apiarian, says, that in the 

 Spring of 1853, he fed one of his colonies with rye-meal, 

 placed in the hive in an old comb ; continuing the supply 

 till they could procure fresh pollen abroad. This colony 

 produced four strong swarms that Spring, and an adjoin- 

 ing stock not supplied with the meal, only one weak 

 swarm. 



Another German bee-keeper says, he has used wheat 

 flour with very good results ; the bees forsaking the 

 honey furnished them, and engaging actively in carrying 

 in the flour, which was placed about twenty paces in 

 front of their hives. 



The construction of my hives permits the flour to be 

 easily placed where the bees can get it, without losing 

 time in going abroad, or suffering for the want of it, when 

 the weather confines them at home. * 



