FEEDING. 113 



The imperial pint - measure of England holds 4 gills ; 

 the Scotch one holds 16 gills. In Yorkshire and Lanca- 

 shire many people call half a pint " a gill." It is the 

 English or imperial pint of water which we use with one 

 pound of sugar. One pound of each, slightly boiled, makes 

 excellent syrup for bees. It is about the same thickness 

 or substance as honey when first gathered from flowers. 



There are various ways and appliances for feeding bees. 

 Many amateur bee-keepers feed from the tops of their 

 liives. It is a very good plan. A kind of tin trough or 

 cylinder, with a wooden float full of holes, is used for 

 this purpose. The lid on the top of the hive is removed, 

 and this cylinder, filled with syrup, is placed there. The 

 bees speedily find their way to the syrup, and carry it 

 down into the hive. This system prevents strange bees 

 from getting the syrup. 



The following are the only instruments we have ever 

 used in feeding, all of which are cheap, simple, and 

 excellent. 



The trough of our feeding-board is 11 inches wide, 1^ 

 inch deep, and holds 3 quarts or 6 lb. of syrup. It is 

 a very useful instrument, and can be refilled without 

 touching the hive or troubling the bees. Eor feeding 

 young swarms, or giving large quantities to a hive, it 

 is far superior to anything of the kind we have ever 

 seen. In the plate of this feeding-board it wiU be ob- 

 served that there are cross pieces of wood in the trough 

 for the convenience of the bees getting at the liquid. We 

 think this is an improvement on ours, which is used 

 without them ; but then we have to use chips of wood to 

 keep the bees from drowning. We have never known a 

 bee lose its life in the trough of our feeding-board. 



The feeding-cistern holds about 3 pints of syrup, and 

 is handy. When it is used, the board of the hive must 

 be placed very level, so that the liquid runs to the far 



