THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL 
9 
case the food is given Blowly, but very regularly, 
a gill more or less each evening ; and the result 
is the encouragement of the queen in egg-laying, 
by which is raised a large population of young 
bees, which will live well in the succeeding 
spring, and keep the stock strong until other 
hatches of brood are ready to take their place. 
The syrup used for brood-raising should contain 
about 31bs. of sugar to a quart of water. 
Stimulative feeding should not be contiuued 
after the middle of September, when all stocks 
should be fed to the proper weight as rapidly as 
possible. 
Winter feeding Unless bees have been 
neglected in the autumn they will seldom re. 
quire any attention during the winter ; but 
should food then be necessary barley-sugar or 
candy can alone be given with safety. 
Spring Feeding . — If bees are left altogether 
to themselves in spring there is very great risk 
of their tunning short of provisions, to their 
great injury ; and even where this is not the 
case, they refuse to raise any very large numbers 
of young bees until honey begins to come in 
rather abundantly. By feeding regularity from 
the beginning of March, our stocks, if in good 
condition, rapidly grow stronger. For early 
swarms and strong rich stocks, able to gather 
surplus for sections and supers in summer, we 
must lay the foundation in the early spring by 
attentive feeding. All profit, all success, 
depends upon having our stocks strong when 
honey is plentiful in the fields and gardens ; and 
to accomplish this the bees must be encouraged 
to breed vigorously before the honey comes. 
Syrups can be given to skeps over the hole in 
the crown from an inverted bottle, as described 
under the head of * Feeder ; ’ but, whatever the 
plan adopted, the syrup should be rather thin, 
as recommended for brood-raising in autumn. 
It is advisable to place the bottle on the hive in 
the evening after the bees have gone to rest, and 
if it contains no more than will be taken down 
duripg the night, the bees will increase the 
more rapidly. In addition to sugar, the food, 
afterwards described as flour-cake, will be im- 
mensely advantageous if used under the quilt. 
Where stocks have sealed store, we can stimu- 
late to breeding by uncapping the cells with a 
dinner-knife. The honey will be carried into 
the brood-nest, and breeding increased in conse- 
quence. 
Enlarging the brood-nest iB most important at 
this season. It consists in very cautiously, as 
the bees are able to bear it, urging egg-laying, 
by putting a comb containing but little brood 
into the place occupied by a comb containing 
much, or by spreading the brood, and putting 
an empty comb in the centre. We must run no 
risk of chilling, but, short of this, the effect, if 
accompanied by gentle feeding, is quite beyond 
the belief of those who have not tried it. 
Feeding Swarms . — Swarms do much better if 
fed even if the weather be favourable, but in 
wet seasons, or in comparative scarcity, it is a 
necessity. The feeding should be regular, but 
not excessive, as then too much drone-comb 
would be built. It should be continued for a 
fortnight, when it may cease, as then the combs 
are nearing completion ; and the brood the 
bees are able to cover is mostly sealed. 
Feeding Weak Stocks must not be overlooked, 
and will often be required when strong ones are 
prospering. This in itself is an argument in 
favour of strong stocks. 
Foods . — The place of honey, the natural food 
of bees, is well supplied by syrup made as 
follows : — 
Dissolve loaf sugar iu water in the proportions 
previously given in a clean saucepan over the 
fire. Be very careful to prevent, by constant 
stirring, any burning of the sugar, as this forms 
a substance — caramel — very unwholesome to 
bees. Add a pinch of salt and a table-spoonful 
of vinegar to every 41bs. of sugar, and if foul 
brood is known to exist in the locality, to the 
same quantity put in a heaped salt-spoonful cf 
salicylic acid, and continue to boil gently a 
couple of minutes. 
To make Barley Sugar, or Candy . — Into a 
saucepan or stewpan over the fire put a very 
small quantity of water pint to 41bs. of sugar), 
and keep the sugar constantly stirred, or it will 
burn. As soon as all the sugar is dissolved, let 
a drop or two fall on the plate. If this sets in 
a few seconds, so that the surface does not stick 
to the finger when it is pressed, it will do ; if. 
however, it is sticky, it contains too much 
water, and either more sugar must be melted in 
it or boiling must be continued, to drive off the 
excess of water, Tne right condition being 
reached, remove it from the fire and continue to 
stir it very briskly, until it is evidently setting, 
when pour it into any convenient mould. The 
barley sugar so made, correctly named candy , 
will not be bright and clear like that of the 
confectioner, but it will- be far better for the 
bees. The explanation of this, however, would 
require more space than could here be afforded. 
Flour Cake . — If we requiie flour-cake we 
proceed as before, but carefully stir in lib. of 
pea-flour or wheat-flour for every 61bs, of sugar 
either before or at the moment the latter is 
removed from the fire. We then stir briskly 
until stiffening commences, when we pour it 
into paper which has been placed in saucers or 
soup-plates. The hot sugar will settle the paper 
into form, while the paper will prevent sticking. 
In half-an-honr it will be hard, dry, and fit for 
use, and may be put over the frames of move- 
able comb hives between the combs of skeps. 
Its effect is most beneficial. When used with 
frame-hives the attached paper should not be 
removed, as this, placed uppermost, will prevent 
the flour-cake from sticking to the quilt. 
XVI.— Febdeks. 
Great varieties of feeders have been intro- 
duced, but nothing is so generally satisfactory 
as a bottle inverted over a perforated zinc or 
vulcanite feeding-stage. For skeps or hives 
with crown-boards the Btage will go over the 
central hole, but where the quilt is used a little 
wooden stage must be provided, as in fig. 6, 
pierced with a hole from 1 to 2 inches across! 
The bottle is filled, then over it is placed a small 
