174 ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. 



public to believe that by some hocus pocus the sugar that is fed gets 

 into the surplus, no one need know of the feeding, except it might be 

 in some cases, an immediate neighbor, and the bee-keeper ought to 

 enjoy his neighbor's confidence to that degree that the exact truth 

 can be told him, and it will be believed. As in regard to the in- 

 creased amount of honey that the use of sugar as winter stores puts 

 upon the market, so any possible talk about adulteration is over- 

 balanced by the certainty of carrying the bees through the 

 winter. 



If the feeding is done early enough so that the bees will have 

 time to work the honey over and ripen it, no heat will be needed in 

 making the syrup; simply stir into cold water all of the sugar that it 

 will dissolve, feed it to the bees, and they will reduce it to the proper 

 consistency; and, by the addition of their secretions, change the cane 

 sugar into grape sugar, thus practically making it into honey. If 

 fed too late something may be necessary to prevent the granulation 

 of the syrup. For this purpose I never found anything better than 

 honey — from 10 to 20 per cent, is sufficient. September is early 

 enough to feed; but, when feeding has been neglected until it is so 

 late and the weather so cool that the bees will not leave the cluster 

 and go into the feeder, it may be managed, as explained in the 

 chapter on feeding, by filling the feeder with hot syrup and placing 

 it under the hive. The heat from the syrup will warm up and 

 arouse the bees, when they will come down and carry up the 

 feed. 



But all can not, or may not wish to, use sugar for winter stores, 

 and many do not 7ieed to use sugar to insure the successful winter- 

 ing of their bees. There is a great difference in localities regarding 

 the character of the honey. Where one has successfully pursued 

 the same course year after year, it is doubtful if a change would be 

 desirable; but what shall the man do who loses heavily nearly every 

 winter, yet can not, or will not use sugar? Possibly he can so 

 manage that his winter stores are secured from a different source. 

 Mr. O. O. Poppleton takes the ground that the best winter stores 

 come from the most bountiful yields. It is possible that there is 

 something in this, bountiful yields of any crop are usually of fine 

 quality, but I know of at least one locality where the fall flow of honey 

 is always the most abundant, and I might almost say always abun- 

 dant, yet so surely will it kill bees thatthe most extensive bee-keeper 

 in that locality, after an experience of many years, kills his bees in 

 the fall rather than attempt to winter them on this honey by any 

 method. 



