FIFTY YEAES AMONG THE BEES 97 



and a weak colony makes rather poor work on a feeder at that 

 time. Instead of distributing feeders to all colonies that need 

 feeding, they are limited to a small number of the very strong- 

 est, whether these need feeding or not. Then filled combs are 

 taken from these strong colonies and given to the needy colonies 

 whether at home or in the out-apiaries, for the feeders are gen- 

 erally used only at home. 



It may be that these strong colonies are already well 

 supplied with honey. Whatever honey they have is taken from 

 them, unless it be in combs containing brood, and empty combs 

 gi^'en in place. The feeder is put directly on the brood-cham- 

 ber. After the bees get a fair start on the feeder an upper 

 story wil h empty combs may be gi\'en, but just at tirst they will 

 make a better start without' this second story. When the feeder 

 is put on 5 or 10 pounds of sugar is poured in, and an equal 

 quantity of water poured on the sugar. It is much better lo 

 have the water hot. It would be well to fill the feeder full, but 

 in that case a good portion of it would be left to get cold, and 

 faster work will be done if no more is given each day than will 

 be taken that day. Very often when I go around to the feeders 

 nest morning I find most of them with sugar still in the feeder, 

 but the liquid all taken. That doesn't matter; more water can 

 be added. Indeed, 12 or 15 pounds of sugar may be put in the 

 feeder, and then each day only so much water as the bees will 

 use out that day; for they are not likely to do much at night 

 unless the weather be quite warm. 



WHOLESALE FEEDING. 



There come times, however, when the feeding must be 

 rushed, and there can be no puttering with getting one colony to 

 store for another. One of those times came in the year 1902. 

 The second week in June, at the time when in a good season 

 there ought to be lively work piling on supers, I found nearly 

 every colony on the point of starvation. If there was any 

 difference, the strongest colonies were the worst. The combs 

 were filled with brood, requiring large daily consumption, stores 

 in the hive were exhausted, and not enough for daily supplies 

 coming in. It would hardly be proper economy to have combs 

 filled with honey saved up for such emergencies, seeing that they 



