100 THE COTTAGE AND FARM BEE KEEPER. 



taken place for the year ; that is, as soon as the bees have ceased to 

 increase their stores, or the queen's autumn laying of eggs has evident- 

 ly relaxed ; and for this reason — while the weather is warm, and the 

 bees therefore are more actively disposed, the process of feeding will 

 be the sooner over, because of the more eager consumption of food on 

 the bees' part ; besides it will avoid the danger of weakening the stock, 

 which so often takes place in cooler weather, later in the season, 

 owingto the bees being induced to quit the hive, in vain search for food 

 — and they will leave their hive under such circumstances, how often 

 never to return ! Not only so, the earlier artificial food is supplied, of 

 course, the more honey will survive the winter consumption for the 

 spring use of the young bees, and the earlier and larger will be the 

 bee master's spoil another year. 



The best food undoubtedly is honey; but they will thrive, (I believe 

 my experience will warrant me in saying,) equally well on various 

 kinds of artificial food, in which, however, honey ought to form no in- 

 considerable ingredient. As a rule, I should say, feed with honey 

 slightly diluted in spring, and with prepared food in autumn. I can 

 recommend the following compound as being both economical, and 

 certainly very agreeable to the bees — witness my having reared one 

 stock upon nothing else through the winter of 1849, and two stocks, 

 (at least till the middle of March — the time of going to press,) through 

 the winter of 1850. The recipe for making it as follows : — To a quart 

 of wholesome table beer, (neither too fresh nor too old,) add three 

 pounds of Barbados sugar, or, (better still,) coarse loaf sugar, a glass of 

 sherry,* one and a half or two pounds of cheap honey, and a teaspoon- 

 ful of salt ; the whole having been mixed together, and boiled for five 

 minutes, will make about half a gallon of food, with the addition of a 

 little water, which the bees will devour with ready gusto. The sher- 

 ry, I doubt not, acts as a beneficial stimulus to the bees ; and it cer- 

 tainly much improves the flavor of the liquid, although it also some- 

 what materially increases the expense. 



Mr. Payne and Mr. Taylor both urgently recommend barley sugar, 

 as useful food for bees. It is, however, troublesome to make, and is, 

 further, almdst, if not quite, as expensive as honey itself. Moreover, 

 it requires the presence of a certain degree of heat or damp to assist 



* This may be omitted if thought necessary. 



