FEEDING BEES. 
31 
such colonies barely escape death, they will neglect to devel- 
op the eggs laid by the queen until the] honey begins to ap- 
pear again, and before they can be built up strong in bees, 
the best honey season will be over, and they will have no 
surplus honey ; nor will they have bees to spare for a swarm ; 
and in case the honey season proves a bad one they may have 
but little honey stored for the coming winter. 
What is the remedy for such weak, starving colonies ? 
They should be housed where they can keep themselves and 
their brood warm until the weather admits of their flying. 
While the bees are in their winter quarters, if they are scarce 
of honey, they should be fed on sugar candy (white is the 
best), placed between the combs in the cluster of bees; they 
will remain quietly clustered on it, eating as they need, and 
save their honey without being excited, as they invariably are 
when fed any liquid sweet. If tho bees are in a box hive, 
keep it inverted and place the sticks of candy one, two or 
three pounds, between the ends of the combs where the bees 
will collect on it. 
A good candy can be made by dissolving seven pounds of 
white, or a good article of brown sugar, with one pint of 
water ; boil it to the consistency of taffy ; then add one pound 
of flour, which serves as s substitute for bee-bread. Continue 
to boil until when a little is dropped in cold water it can he 
broken short; there is no danger of making it too hard. Now 
pour into shallow pans, well greased to prevent sticking. 
While cooling it may be cut into strips. If desired, it can 
be clarified with the white of eggs and scented with mint. 
I will now describe the mode of feeding when set on their 
summer stand. 
FEED BOX. 
Make as many feed boxes as there are colonies to feed. 
Take a board one-half inch thick, ten or twelve inches long, 
and five or six inches wide ; nail all around this strips one 
and a half or two inches wide, thus making a feed box one or 
one and a half inches deep. Melt some rosin and beeswax 
together, taking equal quantities of each, and pour it around 
in the corners of the box to make it honey-tight. Into this 
box pour the liquid food, and spread a few shavings or cut 
straw over the surface of it to keep the bees from miring. 
