FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 99 



It was better to dissolve the sugar before putting it in the 

 feeders (perhaps it is better at any time), for then there was 

 no danger of having dry sugar left in the feeder. Perhaps there 

 was no real gain in using hot water when the colonies were 

 strong and the weather warm. I tried cold water in some eases, 

 and it worked all right, only it took more stirring. 



ORIGINAL MILLER FEEDER. 



Most of my feeders are of the original pattern (Fig. 40). 

 At Fig. 41 is seen one of them dissected. The lower part is an 

 ordinary section-super. On this rests the feeder proper, with 

 the little board at one end removed, also the little board at one 

 side, so as to show the inside wall under which the syrup may 

 flow, and the outside wall, which lacks enough of coming to the 

 top so that the bees can come up over it and go down into the 

 feed. 



IMPROVED MILLER FEEDER. 



The improved Miller feeder of the catalogs, instead of 

 being all in one has two parts, and the bees go up through the 

 middle. I thought it was an important improvement to allow 

 the bees to go up the middle instead of up the (wo sides, because 

 the heat ought to be greater at the middle. After a thorough 

 trial of the two, side by side, I am obliged to admit that the 

 improvement is one in theory only, and that the bees go up the 

 sides whenever they will go up the middle, and it seems a little 

 better to have the feed all in one dish. 



If it were not for the expense of keeping two sets of 

 feeders, I should like to keep a set of Doolittle division-board 

 feeders, for there may come times when it is cool and bees will 

 not take feed readily from a Miller feeder, yet would take it 

 from a division-board feeder, because closer to the brood-nest. 

 But most times I should prefer the Miller, so that has the 

 preference. 



CROCK-AND-PLATB FEEDER. 



I have used the crock-and-plate feeder (Fig. 43), and it 

 answers a very good purpose. It has the advantage that any 



