36 
DR. MILLER S 
the candying of honey in the hive is deplored? Why not feed 
candied honey over the cluster when needed? 
A. Your question is hardly a fair one, for it sounds like saying 
that there is no objection to feeding candy, while there is objec- 
tion to letting the bees have candied honey. The fact is that 
there are good authorities wluo deplore the feeding of sugar candy 
more than the candying of honey. There is, however, not so 
much said against the feeding of sugar candy, because it is often 
a choice between that and starvation, in which case the feeding of 
candy is not a thing to be deplored. In the case of honey candy- 
ing, it is to be deplored, because it is not so good as liquid honey. 
It remains, however, to say that it is quite possible that it is better 
to feed candied honey than to feed sugar candy, and that so good 
authorities as the Dadants have practiced feeding candied honey. 
Perhaps ye Editor will tell us about it in a bracket. 
(Sugar may be crystalized in lumps like rock candy, in which 
case it is of no use to the bees. But soft candy makes good bee 
food. The same may be said of granulated honey. If the honey 
has granulated in a way that there are hard, crusty lumps in it, 
some of it may be lost by the bees, especially if they attempt to 
consume it in dry weather. When the atmosphere is loaded with 
moisture, much of this softens so the bees can use it. But well 
ripened honey which has a soft granulation will be consumed to 
the last mite. We have often fed candied honey in the way sug- 
gested by our correspondent.) 
Candying (See Granulation.) 
Capping*. — Q. I have been told that yellow flowers tend to 
make cappings yellow, too, or, in brief, that the bees will cap 
honey from yellow flowers with a yellow capping. If this is true, 
please explain. 
A. Yes, it is true, at least of some flowers, dandelion, for ex- 
ample. I suppose the bees get the yellow coloring from the pollen. 
Q. What methods, if any, besides the knife, have been used 
since the invention of the extractor to get rid of the cappings of 
the combs? 
A. Turn to page 306 of the American Bee Journal for October, 
1908, and you will find description and illustrations of the Bayless 
uncapping machine. Several other machines for uncapping have 
been invented, but none absolutely perfected. 
Q. To melt up cappings and wax scraps, what would be the 
simplest way to do? 
