Deeding bees: iiEciPEa. 179 



312. Precautions. — The following precautions, as applicable 

 to the feeding of bees, should be adopted as rules for invari- 

 able observance; — (i) Use only pure, refined, cane sugar; 

 other sugars are injurious to bees (330). (2) Never permit 

 the sugar to become burned during cooking ; even pure, re- 

 fined, cane sugar, if burned, will do much harm, especially 

 in cold weather when bees are confined to their hives. 

 (3) Contract the entrances of all hives in which feeders are 

 being used, and do not allow robber bees access to the food ; 

 robbing is often set up through neglect of this precaution 

 (307). (4) Give the food warm, in the evenings, when the bees 

 have ceased flying : bees will frequently refuse cold syrup in 

 spring and autumn. (5) Keep all feeders warmly covered. 

 (6) Never leave supers on a hive when sugar-feeding is in 

 progress in that hive ; syrup stored in sections or extracting 

 supers, will render the honey therein unfit for sale. (7) Do 

 not hesitate to spend money on sugar : it is only quarter the 

 price of the honey you get instead. 



313. Spring Feeding — Bees are fed in spring, and at other 

 seasons, to " stimulate '' them (192), and at all times when it is 

 found that their stores are insufficient. Except in winter, 

 when candy is the food employed, syrup is given. Spring 



■ feeding begins when the bees begin to fly freely — in March or 

 April, according to the season and locality. Honey in the 

 combs may have a couple of inches of cappings bruised once a 

 week, exposing the food for use. In early spring, when the 

 nights are cold, bees will often refuse to take down syrup. 

 In such a case, if there be any liquid honey at hand, a good 

 cake of candy may be made by mixing honey with loaf sugar 

 pounded fine, and the cake may be put on the frames, under 

 the sheet, so that the bees may easily reach it. Flour candy 

 (Recipe 324) forms an excellent food for bees in spring, and 

 stimulates brood rearing to a surprising extent. Liquid 

 food may be prepared according to the directions given at 

 the close of this chapter (Recipe 321). The supply should 

 be regulated according to the season, the needs of the colony, 

 and the objects in view. In springs for stimulative purposes, 

 i.e., to induce more rapid brood rearing, the supply should 

 be very gradual — say a wineglassful given through 

 two or three holes only, and that, during the night, 

 the supply being cut off in the morning ; for, a supply too 

 rapid will lead to the storing of syrup in the combs required 

 for brood, and this is to be carefully avoided in the spring. 

 With this object, feeders are employed which introduce the 

 syrup immediately over the cluster, and which permit the 

 supply to be regulated according to the requirements (120-123). 



