2g8 A Modetn Bee Farm 



to the combs in a single night ; the best time for filling 

 the feeders being about dusk, as this avoids robbers, and 

 also prevents loss of bees through flying because of the 

 sudden excitement. 



Good sound wood is selected, and plain boards fastened 

 on each side of a frame of any desired width. Put the 

 nails in rather close together and paint all joints with 

 white lead before making up (Fig. S4a). The syrup is 

 poured in, while warm, after turning back the quilt, and the 

 bees go in by a slot on the side. It does not at all matter 

 about pouring the syrup over any bees that may be in the 

 feeder, as they are soon cleaned up by their fellows. If a 

 float is used it should be half-an-inch narrower and shorter 

 than the inside of the feeder. 



In many apiaries feeding is seldom resorted to, but there 

 are times of dearth when valuable colonies would be 

 utterly ruined were it not for the timely assistance ren- 

 dered by the owner — -assistance that sooner or later is 

 repaid a hundredfold. 



Of course, if feeding is absolutely necessary after the 

 surplus receptacles have once been occupied, it must be 

 simply from " hand to mouth," that nothing be stored in 

 supers ; while it may even be desirable to remove such 

 entirely, replacing them when better times put in an 

 appearance. 



Feeding without Feeders 



is something that needs our attention before closing this 

 chapter. Of the various methods offered for filling stock 

 combs with syrup, to be placed in the centre of the brood 

 nest for stimulation, or near the outside for storing, no 

 plan can be so effective and simple as that employed by 

 Mr. W. Raitt, of Scotland. He used a common syringe, 

 placing the comb in a drip pan, while driving the syrup 



