82 Advanced Bee Cultiirc 



no propolis is disturbed, and the cover fits so snugly that no odor of 

 honey escapes to attract robbers. 



The bees seem to be able to handle the honey to better advantage 

 when it is thinned somewhat, say one quart of water to ten pounds of 

 honey. I heat ten quarts of water over an oil-stove until it boils, then 

 mix it with loo pounds of honey; stir it up well, when it is ready for 

 use. The first feeding should be done at dusk, as it puts the bees in 

 an excited state, and trouble from attempts at robbing might result. 

 After the bees have become accustomed to finding honey in the feeder, 

 feeding produces little or no excitement; still, at dusk is the best time 

 to feed, as the annoyance of having robber bees follow from hive to 

 hive, and dive into the feeder reservoir when it is opened, is thus 

 avoided. The feed is given as fast as the bees take it. 



Close watch is kept of the sections in the lower cases ; and whenever 

 a case is found in which all or nearly all of the sections are completed, 

 off it comes. The case above it is placed next the brood-nest, and 



The Heddon Feeder. 



above this case is placed a case of sections brought from the honey- 

 house, one containing sections of the third grade — that is, those in 

 which the bees have made the least progress. I continue to bring in 

 the cases of finished sections as they are completed, replacing them 

 with the unfinished ones from the honey-house. When the stock of the 

 latter is exhausted, I am ready to begin to reduce the number of colonies 

 upon which I am feeding back, and this is done as fast as the sections 

 are completed. 



During all this time, since the feeding commenced I have been 

 watching each colony and jotting down, upon the cover of the feeder, 

 its characteristics ; and in reducing the number of colonies those are 

 rejected that have done the least satisfactory work. I continue to keep 

 two cases upon each hive ; and as the colonies work with greatlv varying 

 rapidity, there is no difficulty, by changing about the cases, to keep next 

 the brood-nest those sections that are the nearest completion. In gather- 

 ing the sections together upon fewer hives I always take bees and all ; 



