F£EDINa. 855 



in, or fed at evening ; to prevent the risk of their robbing 

 each other. The hive vsrhich is to be fed, should have the 

 front edge of its bottom-board elevated on a block, so as to 

 slant backwards, and the honey should be poured through 

 one of the holes of the spare honey-board. As the frames 

 are kept about half an inch above the bottom-board, which 

 is water tight, the honey runs under them, and is as safe as 

 in a dish, while the bees stand on the bottom of the frames, 

 and help themselves. The quantity poured in, should of 

 course, depend upon the size and necessities of the colony ; 

 no more ought to be given at one time, than the bees can 

 store up during the night ; a good colony will easily take up 

 a quart. It is desirable to get through the feeding as rapidly 

 as possible, as the bees are excited .through the whole pro- 

 cess, and consume more than they otherwise would, to say 

 nothing of the demand made upon ihe time of the Apiarian, 

 by feeding in snoall quantities. If the bees cannot, in fa- 

 vorable weather, dispose of at least a pint at one time, the 

 colony must be too small to make it worth while to feed 

 them, if they are in hives by which they can be readily 

 united to stronger stocks. 



If the bees have not a good allowance of comb, it wiU 

 not, as a general rule, pay to feed them. This will be ob- 

 vious to any one who reflects that nearly 20 pounds of 

 honey are often required to elaborate one pound of wax. I 

 know that this estimate may to some, appear enormous ; but 

 it is given as the result of very accurate experiments, insti- 

 tuted on a large scale, to determine this very point. The 

 Country Curate says, " Having driven the population of four 

 stocks, on the 5th of August, and united them together, I fed 

 them with about 50 pounds of a mixture of sugar, honey, salt 

 and beer, for about five weeks. At that time, the box was 

 only 16 pounds heavier than when the bees were put into it." 



