40 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



built up so as to be ready for business at 

 the commencement of the surplus honey; 

 but, if there is any reason to fear that 

 they may not be, after the weather has 

 become warm and settled and the colonies 

 are all well-stocked with young- bees, it is 

 quite an easy matter to build them up as 

 we please. 



OPEN-AIR FEEDING IN THE SPRING. 



On this round I also look after their 

 stores. 1 equalize the stores in the hives; 

 and this does not need to take over an 

 hour, or about that, to the yard; and then 

 if honey is not coming in. and I decide 

 that they need feeding-, I mix up g-ranu- 

 lated sugar and water, between one- 

 third and one-half part by measure of 

 sugar and one-half to two-thirds water, 

 stir up cold and feed this in some handy 

 and sheltered spot near the yard where 

 the bees will fly to and from the feed, 

 but do not need to expose themselves. In 

 the early spring I find bees will take their 

 feed better in this way than in any other, 

 they are less inclined to rob, and, with 

 me. they have built up better. 



There is the fear with a great many 

 that with out-door feeding-, their neigh- 

 bors' bees may get the benefit, but in 

 early spring: feeding bees do not seem to 

 g-o far after sugar syrup; and, even in 

 summer, they do not do so. 



I had two lots of bees for awhile only 

 a little over a mile apart, with one fed 

 and the other not, and still the latter did 

 not visit the feed of the first. As a rule, 

 however, my bees are sufficiently apart 

 from all others so that there could be 

 very little loss from this source. The 

 amount fed may run anywhere from one 

 pound per colony to six pounds, according- 

 to their needs. If they should possibly 

 need over six pounds, it is better to pass 

 around again in eight or ten days' time 

 and give them what additional amount 

 they may require, but I have never had 

 bees require over six pounds. For these 

 outside feeders I have found nothing bet- 

 ter than the large woodsn candy pails 

 with plenty of floats in them, and a 



bridge leading to the top. This last may 

 not seem necessary, but it lessens the 

 number of lost bees, of which there are a 

 very few, and does not cost much time 

 and no expense. These feeders should be 

 protected from the weather. "Where only 

 an occasional colony is to be fed I prefer 

 a division board feeder, slightly cut down 

 on the side next the bees, or a feeder 

 which permits of removal being attached 

 to the back part of the hive. 



OBJECTIONS TO THE ALEXANDER FEEDER. 



My objections to the Alexander feeder 

 are two; First, I prefer to have my hives 

 raised only about an inch or so from the 

 g-round, with a strip of inch board under 

 the bottom board at the rear, and a board 

 passing- under the bottom board in the 

 front and projecting- some distance in 

 front of the hive; and second I do not like 

 any permanent attachment of the kind 

 added to my bottom boards as it would 

 interfere in many ways with my manner 

 of handling my bees. I am aware that 

 the majority of bee-keepers use hive 

 stands, and think them indispensible. and 

 perhaps in many Southern localities they 

 may be, but I have discontinued their use 

 with an advantage both in handling and 

 in results. I have them just high enough 

 to allow a circulation of air under the 

 bottom board. 



SYSTEMATIZE AND SIMPLIFY. 



One of the first things to be learned in 

 establishing a system of out-apiaries, is 

 to systemize and simplify all our work as 

 much as possible. Arrange all your work 

 and determine the frequency of your visits 

 to your yards, before the commencement 

 of your work in the spring, and then fol- 

 low out your plan of work strictly. To 

 be able to do this successfully you will 

 have to be an experienced and well-versed 

 bee-keeper; and, even then, it is often 

 wiser to start with only one or two out- 

 apiaries, and then increase the number as 

 you gain experience. After you have be- 

 come thoroughly familiar with this style 

 of bee-keeping you will realize that bees 

 in an out yard will net you quite as much 

 surplus as those in a home yard. 



