FEEDING DEES. 
29 
town, in the year 1863, for feeding bees. The successes in 
feeding it was various, owing to the time of year and the 
skill in feeding. This honey is generally liquid ; but if can- 
died, a little water should be added. It should then be 
brought to the boil, and wlftn cooled the impurities skimmed 
from the surface. A good article of brown sugar, or still 
better, white sugar, dissolved in water to near the consistence 
of honey, and heated, makes a good feed. Maple molasses 
does very well. Some claim to have fed sorghum to good 
advantage. This is the cheapest food that can be procured 
in this region ; but I have never succeeded well in feeding 
it. It is only under the most favorable circumstances that I 
can induce the bees to eat it ; and in some cases it produced 
dysentery, seriously injuring the bees. Perhaps in such 
cases it was an inferior article, Food that is in the least 
sour is objectionable. However, I would not hesitate to 
feed a good article of sorghum to strong colonies, when the 
weather is quite warm. Bees are much more inclined to 
dysentery in cool weather, and when eating freely, than 
when eating sparingly. 
Sugar candy is best for winter feeding, as it can be placed 
between the combs directly amongst the bees, so that they 
will not have to leave their warm cluster to go out into the 
cold for it. It possesses the advantage of not keeping them 
excited, as they are when fed liquid sweets ; besides it re- 
quires much less of it. It possesses an advantage over dry 
sugar, as the bees seem able to dissolve it, perhaps with a 
little moisture from their probosces ; whilst dry sugar is very 
much wasted because they cannot liquify it. 
In warm days, in the early spring, before bees commence 
gathering pollen, an impetus may be given to breeding, by 
feeding them rye flour put in shallow boxes and 6et in the 
sunshine, in a calm place near the hives, where all may have 
access to it. There is no danger of exciting robbery, as there 
is in feeding honey outside of the hive. 
There are two objects to be accomplished in feeding, one 
is to stimulate the bees to rear brood, the other is to keep 
them from starving. 
Strong stocks are an essential to successful bee-keeping. 
Such guard themselves against worms, robbers, and the cold. 
They require less attention and make more honey and combs 
in proportion to their numbers, and consume less honey. 
