PEARCE METHOD OF BEE-KEEPING 35 



they take their honey from above and thus extend the empty 

 combs upward as they pass up, and so they continue till the 

 approach of spring, and upon a moment's reflection, you will 

 understand that they could not have gone in any other direc- 

 tion. These separate divisions of bees could not get out of 

 the spaces they are in and they could not cluster with their 

 heads downward, or they would have a rush of blood to their 

 heads and die of apoplexy, and if they would try to lie down 

 on their sides all this time, they would probably have to have 

 an operation for appendicitis before Spring, or had some bad 

 adhesions, so "it is all up with them," as the sweeper said 

 when he was stuck in the chimney, and therefore they pass 

 upward to success if there is enough honey above them or 

 to sure death if there is not. Should they reach the board, 

 if it is a sealed down cover, or the burlap, if it is porous 

 material as it should be, and if the honey is all gone, they will 

 die. Nothing but good stores directly above them is of any 

 use, as they cannot change to other combs outside of the 

 cluster and would perish with plenty of honey in the sides 

 of the hives, as has often been seen, for when they consume 

 all above them, they cannot reach any of the honey stored on 

 each side of them and so die. 



But I must stop to tell you about feed, feeders, and feed- 

 ing. It will not be very long, however. I use granulated 

 sugar, as we all do, when obliged to feed. With our bees in 

 our two-body hive, we do not have to feed much, as the bees 

 feed themselves. To make the feed or syrup, I put sugar 

 into a pail or dish and mark or measure to where the top of 

 the dry sugar comes, and pour boihng water on it till the 

 sugar is dissolved or melted, continuing to stir as the sugar 

 settles down and to pour in water till it comes up to where 

 the dry sugar was, and you will have a syrup about right 

 for the table or for the bees, and after the first batch, you 

 can make it thicker or thinner by raising or lowering the 

 water from this mark, but keep on stirring till the syrup 

 looks perfectly clear and all the sugar is dissolved. This is 

 important so as not to clog the feeders. 



About feeders. I just use a ten-pound honey pail with 

 friction top. This makes the best all-around feeder I have 

 ever tried. I perforate the hd with fine holes, with a sharp 

 small awl, the only thing to be considered being to get this 

 perforation done as it should be. For a light colony, do not 

 perforate out too far from the center, as the syrup might 

 drip dwn if you get' the holes beyond where they are any 



Fill your pail up to an inch or two of the top, so as to 

 leave a vacuum, but, you can feed a half pail or less if you 

 wish. When your warm syrup is in, put on the Ud ^nd see 

 that it is on good so as to exclude all air and not leak. Then 

 invert itover the bees right down on the naked frames, then 

 put a hive body, or hive rim with neithertop nor bottom, 



