THOUSAND ANSWERS 85 



it isn't likely you have them. The next best is a syrup of granu- 

 lated sugar, probably just what you did feed them, only there 

 was probably something wrong about the way you fed that 

 started robbing. Of course, I cannot tell what it was that was 

 wrong; possibly you may have spilled some of the feed, or done 

 something else that was a bit careless. Be careful not to leave 

 any cracks open that will let bees in from the outside. If there 

 is danger of robbing, it is well to give feed in the evening after 

 bees have stopped flying, and to give no more at a time than they 

 will clean up by morning. For fall feeding nothing is better than 

 a Miller feeder. If you feed early, equal parts of sugar and water 

 will be all right; but if you do not feed until after the middle of 

 October, then you can have S parts of sugar (either by weight or 

 measure), 2 parts water. 



Evidently you have no bee-book of instructions, and it will be 

 big money in your pocket if you get a good one, say such a one 

 as Dadant's Langstroth. 



Q. When is the best time to feed the bees? 



A. The best thing is never to feed them, but let them gather 

 their own stores. But if the season is a failure, as it is some 

 years in most places, then you must feed. The best time for that 

 is just as soon as you know they will need feeding for winter; 

 say in August or September. October does very well, however, 

 and even if you haven't fed until December, better feed then than 

 to let the bees starve. 



Q. Two years ago I bought two colonies of bees, and the first 

 year they increased to five colonies. I lost one colony the spring 

 of 1905, and last fall I had six put away in good condition with 

 plenty of honey for winter. I just now lost one colony. I exam- 

 ined the hive and found the honey somewhat watery, running a 

 little out of the hive. What is the cause of this? Can I feed the 

 honey if other bees clean out the comb? 



A. If you had examined closely you might have found that it 

 was mostly water that was running out of the hive. Water may 

 be found running out of a hive containing a colony in good con- 

 dition, the vapor from the bees settling on the cold walls of the 

 hive as water, and running out of the entrance. It may also settle 

 on the unsealed honey in the combs, making the honey thin, 

 sometimes so thin as to run out. There is nothing unusual in all 

 this, and you need not fear to feed this honey to the bees when 

 the weather gets warm. 



This thin honey will not do for winter feed. 



