46 



the stores are largely drawn upon for feeding the brood, and unless nectar 

 can be gathered to help them out, the stores will rapidly diminish. As a 

 rule willows and other spring forage afford a good supply in fine weather, 

 but the weather is frequentlj^ far from fine at that time — generally unsettled, 

 and against the bees securing nectar. Take a case, for example, where 

 the bees have come out of winter quarters with a fair supply of food in the 

 hive, the weather fine, and some nectar is 'being brought in from the fields. 

 Under these conditions, where there is a yodd queen, breeding will go ahead 

 very rapidly, and in a short time there will be a big lot of brood to feed, 

 and a large quantity of food needed. If at this time bad weather should 

 set in and last for several days, preventing the bees gathering nectar, pro- 

 bably within a week pretty nearly all the reserve stores within the hive 

 will be used up, and if the bees are not seen to before they arrive at this 

 stage the\' will probably die of starvation. This is not a fancifully drawn 

 case, but a real practical one, and shi)\vs just how such large losses occur 

 in spring. 



WHEN AND HOW TO FEED. 



Experienced beekeepers can judge in a moment )j\' the weight of the 

 hive, without opening it, whether the supply of food is running short or 

 not, and every beekeeper should learn to do this. By putting one foot 

 on the back of the bottom board to keep it steady, and with one hand raising 

 the back of the hive, one can get the weif;ht at once, and after a little prac- 

 tice can judge to within 1 lb, the amount of honey inside. In this way a 

 large number of hives can be e.xamined in ten or fifteen minutes, and those 

 Jieeding food should be marked. 



The safest and best fdod to give, unless frames of honev from known 

 clean hives are available, is sugar-syrup. Make it as described ia Chapter YI, 

 under the beading of " Feeding and Disinfecting." Ne^er purchase honey 

 or accept it as a gift to feed your bees with — it is too risky, and to sterilise 

 it would require two or three hours' lioiling, which would be more trouble 

 than the hone^' would lie worth. 



FEEDEES. 



There are several kinds of feeder.^ advertised hj those who cater for 

 beekeepers. Clean, empty combs make excellent feeders, and they can 

 be filled b)' placing them on an inclined board in a large milk-dish or other 

 smiilar vessel, and pouring the syrup through a fine strainer held a foot 

 or so above them. The force of the falling syrup expels the air from the 

 cells, and the syrup takes its phvc. After filling, the combs should be 

 suspended over a vessel (to catch the drip) before placing them in the 

 ihives. 



