88 ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 



and wasted more than twice as much as the bees in the other hives 

 did that were not disturbed. Another thing I wish to speak of in con- 

 nection with wintering is this: 



Many leave their bees out too late in the fall. Last fall we put 

 300 colonies in our new cellar, Nov. 11, and they had had no good 

 chance to fly for over two weeks. The 12th of November was a warm 

 bright day, and the 425 colonies left in the yard had a good flight all 

 day. These we put into the cellar on the 14th; and when taken out in 

 the spring they were in no way any better than those put in on the 

 11th, although they had had a fine flight some three weeks later than 

 the others; so don't leave them out to waste away, as they always do 

 with these cold nights of early winter. If we would all realize the 

 importance of having our bees well prepared for winter early in the 

 season, and then be careful and not disturb them any more than can 

 possibly be prevented until they are carried out of their winter quarters 

 in the spring, our winter and spring losses will be much smaller than 

 they usually are. 



When our bee-cellars can be ventilated in the proper way it is 

 one of the most essential things connected with successful wintering. 

 But when done as it frequently is, it is the ruination of thousands of 

 colonies, being one of the principal causes of spring dwindling in its 

 worst form. 



January, 1907. 



LOAF SUGAR FOR WINTER FEEDING. 



QUEEN-CAGE CANDY NOT SUITABLE. 



I once found 200 or 300 light colonies late in the season, with not 

 more than enough honey for 30 or 40, then I resorted to all kinds of 

 feeding imaginable. At one time I made a large amount of candy, from 

 honey and sugar, and had very bad results. It melted and daubed up 

 nearly 100 colonies so every one died. 



Oh, dear! it makes me now feel bad to think of it; but I kept on 

 trying one way and another until at last I struck what I still think is 

 the easiest, quickest, and best way to feed light colonies, either late in 

 the fall or mid-winter, of any way I have ever tried or heard of. It is 

 this: 



Make some rims two inches deep, and the size of your hive on top; 

 then take off whatever covering you have over the tops of the frames of 

 combs, and put on one of these rims. Then fill this rim with cut-loaf 

 sugar — the kind that is in cubes about one inch square. Moisten this 

 sugar by sprinkling a very little warm water on it, then cover the sugar 

 with cloth mats so as to retain all the heat from the bees below, that 

 you can, and the bees will soon come up into this rim of sugar, every 

 one that can, and cluster in it and eat it as they require until spring. I 

 have fed a great many colonies In this way, and never lost one. They 



