The Manipulation of Bees 241 



beekeeper more than he gets for pure comb-honey and this 

 fact effectually keeps adulterated comb-honey off the market. 



What to feed. 



Honey from an unknown source should never be fed, 

 because of the danger of introducing disease. Beekeepers 

 usually feel that it is cheaper to feed sugar syrup because of 

 the higher market value of honey, but no food for bees better 

 than honey has yet been found. If extracted-honey is 

 fed, it should be somewhat diluted. The best plan is to 

 give combs of honey. 



As a substitute for honey, a sjTup made of granulated 

 sugar is best. For spring feeding, a thin syrup may be 

 used, even as dilute as two parts of water to one of sugar 

 (by volume). Ordinarily equal parts of each are used. 

 For supplying winter stores, a thick syrup, 2j to 2| parts of 

 sugar to one of water, is preferable. To prevent granula- 

 tion of the sugar in the thick syrup, it is inverted (changed 

 chemically to levulose and dextrose) by the addition of a 

 teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 20 pounds of sugar while the 

 syrup is being heated to dissolve the sugar crystals. In 

 early spring and late fall, syrup may be fed while warm and 

 fall feeding should be done as rapidly as the bees will take 

 the syrup. In making syrup, the greatest care must be 

 taken not to allow it to be discolored by scorching the 

 sugar; it should be as clear as if made with cold water. 

 Glucose, other cheap syrups or molasses and the cheaper 

 grades of sugar should not be fed to bees, especially for 

 winter stores, since they contain substances indigestible to 

 bees, causing dysentery. 



Candy and cube sugar are sometimes used for supplying 

 bees in winter ^fter their stores are exhausted. These 

 should be used only in emergency and nothing but granu- 

 lated sugar should be used in making candy for this purpose. 

 A soft white sugar, known in the trade as "coffee A," placed 

 in a division board feeder is sometimes used as a stimulant 

 to brood-rearing. 



