Texas Beekeeping. 



57 



Doolittle feeder. 



syrup is poured over them. Several styles of feeders are made, of 

 which some are placed inside of the hives, like the Doolittle division 



board feeder, which is hung in 

 'the place of a comb removed 

 from the hive and filled with 

 syrup from the top, after partly 

 opening the hive to do so. An- 

 other kind, of which the Alex- 

 ander feeder is the best, is 

 placed beneath the hive and 

 filled by simply removing a slid- 

 ing cover block over the opening 

 on the side of the hive. Feeding 

 at the entrance should be avoided, as this often incites robbing by 

 other bees being attracted to the colonies being fed. 



Whenever it becomes neces- 

 sary to feed a large number 

 of colonies in an apiary, a 

 common tub filled with syrup 

 may be placed some distance 

 from the bees, throwing into 

 it a lot of coarse weeds or 

 grass to prevent drowning of 

 bees. It is better to place the 

 feeding tubs some distance 

 from the apiary when out 

 door feeding is practiced, to 

 prevent an uproar and serious 

 robbing. As it is often dif- 

 ficult to attract the bees to the feeding tubs, an empty comb, that has 

 been inserted into the tub of syrup, is placed at the entrance of each 

 of the colonies from which a goodly number of bees are allowed to 

 gather on the comb. This is then taken, bees and all, to the tub and 

 the bees will soon be started at the work of carrying home the syrup. 



Feeding ought not to be done later than November, so as to allow 

 the bees to arrange their winter brood nest in the best possible shape. 

 Combs of sealed honey may be given safely at any time, by placing 

 the combs within easy access of the bees, but care must be exercised 

 not to disturb the cluster. 



Sometimes, in delayed spring, the supply of pollen may become 

 exhausted before new pollen can be obtained. Since the bees must 

 have this, as well as honey, to rear brood, it may be supplied artifi- 

 cially in the form of flour, corn meal, bran or cotton seed meal, in 

 shallow troughs placed in some sheltered place in the apiary. As it 

 is often hard to induce the bees to begin taking it home, a little di- 

 luted sugar syrup sprinkled over the supply will aid this. 



UNITING BEES. 



It often becomes necessary to put two or more colonies together, 

 either because they are too weak in bees to take care of the hive or 

 because they are queenless. On account of a failing queen, or other 



Alexander feeder. 



