CHAPTER VIII 
FEEDING 
Prosasiy one-third of the total annual loss of bees is the 
direct result of carelessness on the part of the owners in failing 
to provide stores at the proper time. In the spring such large 
quantities of honey are consumed in early brood rearing that a 
few days of unfavorable weather will bring a colony with a 
small reserve supply to the verge of starvation. Thousands of 
colonies are lost from this cause alone. Then it is nearly always 
the ease that some colonies will go into winter quarters with an 
insutfticient food supply, unless fed, and will die for lack of stores 
before spring. 
When making increase or rearing queens a check in the honey 
flow will make it necessary to continue to feed the colonies in 
order to maintain normal conditions and get best results. 
From the above statement it will be seen that feeding at the 
proper time is a matter of the greatest importance. Perhaps 
more needless loss is caused by a lack of appreciation of this fact 
on the part of the average bee-keeper than any other. 
Good Honey the Best Feed—As mentioned incidentally 
elsewhere, the author regards good combs of sealed honey as the 
best feed for all times excepting when it is desired to feed slowly 
to stimulate brood rearing. The far-sighted bee-keeper will 
retain a supply of extracting combs filled with sealed honey for 
this purpose. They are always ready and can be placed where 
needed with but a moment's time. 
There are localities where the bees gather honey-dew and 
honey of low grade that gives unsatisfactory results in wintering, 
where it is sometimes considered advisable to extract the honey 
and feed sugar syrup. Such places, fortunately, are not many. 
The storing of svrup is quite a tax on the bees and cannot but 
result in a decrease in the number present by wearing them out 
prematurely. 
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