ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



127 



to stimulative feeding that we must 

 not lose sight of — a queen does not 

 control the amount of brood. If we 

 open one of our hives now we would 

 very likely find a comb somewhere in 

 the hive that has quite a good size 

 space of eggs, and will not find a bit 

 of unsealed brood; in the spring of 

 the year, if we have a pollen supply 

 we can make a balanced ration by 

 feeding sugar syrup, and where we 

 have a good pollen supply we can 

 feed sugar for stimulative purposes 

 successfully. On the other hand if 

 we attempt to feed sugar syrup when 

 -there is a large amount of honey in 

 the hive that is covering the pollen 

 up, we may do more damage than 

 good, because with honey, so long as 

 we are feeding plenty of sugar syrup, 

 the bees will not uncap that honey 

 and get to the pollen. 



The time to stimulate the bees is 

 when they are short of stores, and 

 when they cannot get a natural sup- 

 ply of pollen; never feed them during 

 rainy weather or a dearth, when they 

 have plenty of honey in their hives; 

 if you do they won't uncover that 

 pollen unless they are 'breeding so 

 rapidly that they will uncover it. 



Mr. 'Wilcox — Of course, most of these 

 things that have been said are true, 

 and not to be contradicted; we may 

 as well let it go and take it for 

 granted. 



As to whether the sugar fed will go 

 Into the surplus at the first extract- 

 ing — in the first place, as has been 

 said, there is no necessity for feeding 

 at all if they have plenty of feed. If 

 they need the feed, if they are desti- 

 tute of feed, they will consume it, and 

 you can get somewhere near an idea 

 as to how much they will need. If 

 you feel too much they will carry it 

 up, and it will be extracted at the first 

 extracting. I have tried that many 

 times. 



I have fed dark pure honey for 

 simulative feeding; have given them 

 too much. The first time I extracted 

 I noticed it; of course they carried it 

 up, and they will do the same thing 

 with sugar syrup, but sugar syrup has 

 "been partially, at least, chemically, 

 changed to honey. It is not pure 

 sugar syrup any more, and the thinner 

 you feed it, the more they change it, 

 and that is one of the objects of feed- 

 ing it thin. I don't think you need 



to fear about feeding all that you 

 think they need; and don't feed for 

 the purpose of having it stored up 

 there, and then you won't feed them 

 enough to do any harm. 



iMr. Taylor — I want to say a word 

 in regard to stimulative feeding. In 

 my opinion the only correct way to 

 stimulate bees is to — say in the fall — 

 see that they have an abundant sup- 

 ply of honey in the hive. I don't 

 think it is a good plan to put bees 

 into winter confinement unless they 

 have enough to last them through un- 

 til they get plenty of honey from the 

 fiowers. 



We have to study these matters, to 

 save labor, to save care, and to save 

 the loss of bees. As a general thing, 

 a colony that is poor in the fall, has 

 hardly any honey, is weak in bees, is 

 not worth trying to save, anyway. We 

 get our bees well supplied with honey, 

 and they are all right in the spring. 



Mrs. Holbrook — ^We all want to 

 produce the greatest amount of honey 

 possible from the fewest number of 

 colonies. Mr. Alexander says, if you 

 will feed the bees days when there is 

 no flow of nectar you will keep that 

 work going on; they will not get to 

 loafing, or get to robbing. Would it 

 be saifer to feed sugar syrup during 

 such days, either for comb or ex- 

 tracted honey? Will the bees draw 

 out comb on foundation with sugar 

 syrup ? 



Mr. Taylor — They surely will; if It 

 is warm enough so they can work 

 foundation, but then it is not safe to 

 feed them much sugar syrup if their 

 hive is full of honey in the brood- 

 combs, because you might run the risk 

 of sending your sugar syrup into the 

 sections; but you can put your bees on 

 foundation as soon as warm weather 

 comes, and feed them sugar syrup, and 

 they will work out their foundation 

 and rear brood very soon; the only 

 thing is the temperature. 



Mr. Whitney — I have seen a good 

 deal of that feeding business, and heard 

 what people say, and have been watch- 

 ing it for a good' many years. I think 

 the drift of this whole talk has not 

 been the right thing for this conven- 

 tion, especially when it is to be pub- 

 lished. 



How are we going to have people 

 have confidence in us? Now you talk 

 about feeding sugar — of buying stuff 



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