20 BEE-KEEPING IN WAR-TIME 



If there are weak stocks in the spring, the same method 

 can be followed to unite weak ones which would otherwise 

 spend all the summer in gaining sufficient strength, and 

 stores to winter on, instead of giving surplus. By uniting 

 and making one strong lot out of each two weak ones, surplus 

 wiU be obtained. 



The next care will be to see that all stocks are headed by 

 young vigorous queens. Those having failing mothers should 

 be re-queened by young ones, reared and introduced as ex- 

 plained in the chapter on Queen Rearing and Introduction. 



If there is plenty of honey in the brood combs for the 

 bees to live on in the winter, there will be no need to feed. 

 For this purpose there should be at least eight combs well 

 filled and sealed over. If there is not this quantity then it 

 will be necessary to feed with sugar syrup. It is well to 

 remember that no food suits the bees so well Eis their own 

 natural stores, therefore when removing the supers the bee- 

 keeper should not be too avaricious ; if it is found that a stock 

 has bred so well all the summer that practically aU the stores 

 gathered have been placed in the supers, then, under present 

 war conditions, it will save much trouble and expense if one 

 superful is left on for food ; if this is done the excluder must 

 be removed or in the cold months it will prevent the bees 

 from going through to the food. 



If artificial food must be given it can be done in two ways : 

 by means of a rapid feeder, which is a large vessel so con- 

 structed that the bees can get at the food ad lib. , carry it down 

 and store it in the cells, or by means of the slow or stimulative 

 feeder already described. The latter is the best plan, but 

 requires more attention, therefore is not so much in favour. 

 About the beginning of September the slow feeder should 

 be placed in position and kept continually supplied with food ; 

 that given in the autumn differs in consistency from that given 

 in the spring; for the former it must be thick, roughly half 

 a pint of water to one pound of sugar. The bees are not active 

 except on very fine days in the winter, therefore cannot 

 cleanse. If thin food is given there will be much waste 

 material, the retention of which in their bodies will cause 

 dysentery. They should be allowed access to four or five 

 holes in the feeder. The advantage of this system is that 

 the queen is kept laying till late in the season, so providing 

 a numerous colony to keep each other warm in the winter. 

 The food taken and not required for immediate use is stored 



