282 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



Some colonies will store better than others, and the besi 

 can be chosen. 



FEEDING IN FALL FOR SPRING. 



For some reason, bees seem to store from a feeder 

 much better late in the season than they do before the 

 harvest time. The greater strength of the colonies and 

 the warmer weather would make one expect a difference, 

 but it has always seemed to me that there was more dif- 

 ference than could be accounted for without some other 

 reason. So it is desirable at this time to have not only 

 enough combs filled to bridge over the winter, but to 

 supply any possible deficiency up to the harvest time. 



An upper story of empty combs is put on, possibly 

 two. As fast as combs are completely filled and sealed 

 they can be removed and replaced by empty ones. If it 

 is desired to have combs filled out upon foundation, beau- 

 tiful work will be done upon them in these upper stories. 

 It will easily be seen that it is less trouble to add sugar 

 from time to time as needed, also to add water as needed, 

 than it is to apportion the smaller amounts to a number 

 of colonies. No great matter if too much or too little 

 of one or the other is present ; the thing will regulate it- 

 self. For with cold water there is no danger of the feed 

 being too thick, and all the harm of too large a propor- 

 tion of sugar is that the bees will have to wait for more 

 water when it is too dry to give down. On the other 

 hand, they will continue taking it down when it is much 

 thinner than half-and-half, and perhaps it is all the better 

 manipulated when very thin. 



Perhaps it would do as well to feed as described 

 under wholesale feeding in spring, but in that case I 

 should want the feed quite thin, and there would be more 

 danger from robbers, and more danger of having thin 

 feed left in the feeders to sour. 



