164 What and how to feed 



Vt'HAT TO FEED. 



For this purpose I would feed granulated sugar, reduced to 

 the consistency of honey, or else extracted honey kept over 

 from the previous year. The price of the latter ■will decide 

 •which is the more profitable. Dark inferior honey often 

 serves well as food for bees, though it is not salable. To 

 make the syrup, I use one quart of water to two of sugar, 

 and heat till the sugar is dissolved. 



]Many advise feeding the poorer grades of sugar in spring. 

 My own experience makes me question the policy of ever using 

 such feed for bees. The feeding of glucose or grape sugar is 

 even worse policy. It is bad food for the bees, and its use is 

 dangerous to the bee-keeper's reputation, and injurious to our 

 brother bee-keepers. Glucose is so coupled with fraud and 

 adulteration that he who would "avoid the apnearance of 

 evil " must let it severely alone. 



In all feeding, unles.s extractM honey is what we are using, 

 we cannot exercise too great care that such feed is not carried 

 to the surplus boxes. Only let our customers once taste sugar 

 in their comb-honey, and not only is our own reputation gone, 

 but the whole fraternity is injured. In case we wish to have 

 our combs in the sections filled or capped, we must feed ex- 

 tracted honey, which may often be done with great advantage. 



HOW TO FEED 



The requisites of a good feeder are : Cheapness, a form to 

 admit quick feeding, to permit no loss of heat, and so arranged 

 that we can feed at all seasons without in any way disturbing 

 the bees. The feeder (Fig. 73) which I have used with good 

 satisfaction, is a modified division-board, the top-bar of which 

 (Fig. 73, h) is two inches wide. From the upper central por- 

 tion, beneath the top-bar, a rectangular piece, the size of an 

 oyster-can, is replaced with an oyster-can (Fig. 73, g), after 

 the top of the latter has been removed. A vertical piece of 

 wood (Fig. 73, d) is fitted into the can so as to separate a space 

 about one inch square, on one side, from the balance of the 

 chamber. This piece does not reach quite to the bottom of 

 the can, there being a one-eighth inch space beneath. In the 

 top-bar there is an opening (Fig. 73, e) just above the smaller 

 space below. In the larger space is a wooden float (Fig. 73,/) 

 full of holes. On one side, opposite the larger chamber of the 



