FIFTY YEAKS AMONG THE BEES lOS 



FEEDING SECTIONS' OP COMB HONEY. 



When the combs of honey are all gone, the next best thing 

 is to give sections in wide frames. This seems like an extrava- 

 gant thing to do; but if the sections contain dark or objection- 

 able honey, and if they can be cleaned out and used for baits, 

 there is no very great extravagance about it. I have given 

 sections by sliding them under the bottom-bars, a thing very 

 easily done with bottom-boards two inches deep, but such 

 sections are ruined for use as baits, and all you can do with the 

 empty comb in them is to melt it into wax. 



FEEbiNG TO FILL COMBS. 



If neither combs of sealed honey nor suitable sections are 

 to be had, then feeding with Idler feeders is in order. But 

 colonies that need feeding in spring are not always very strong, 

 and a weak colony makes rather poor work on a feeder at that 

 time. Instead of distributing feeders to all colonies that need 

 feeding, they are limited to a small number of the very strong- 

 est, whether these need feeding or not. Then filled combs are 

 taken from these strong colonies and given to the needy colo- 

 nies whether at home or in the out-apiaries, for the feeders are 

 generally used only at home. 



It may be that these strong colonies are already well sup- 

 plied with honey. Whatever honey they have is taken from 

 them, unless it be in combs containing brood, and empty com^bs 

 given in place. The feeder is put directly on the brood-cham- 

 ber. After the bees get a fair start on the feeder an upper 

 story with empty combs may be given, but just at first they will 

 make a better start without this second story. When the feeder 

 is put on 5 or 10 pounds of sugar is poured in, and an equal 

 quantity of water poured on the sugar. It is much better to 

 have the water hot. It would be well to fill the feeder full, but 

 in that case a good portion of it would be left to get cold, and 

 faster work will be done if no more is given each day than will 

 be taken that day. Very often when I go around to the feeders 

 next morning I find most of them with sugar still in the feeder, 

 but the liquid all taken. That doesn't matter; more water can 

 be added. Indeed, 12 or 15 pounds of sugar may be put in the 



