CANDY FOR BEES 
179 
ence shows that queens can be sent only 
short distances on a food containing it. 
Having' secured the rig’ht ingredients, 
the honey (or invert sugar syrup ) if gran¬ 
ulated, should be heated to a temperature 
of 140 degrees F. to liquify, and allowed to 
cool to about 100 degrees. The pulverized 
sugar should then be stirred in, a little at 
a time, with a big strong spoon or stick,* 
adding all that it is possible for the honey 
to absorb; and when the stick or spoon can 
not stir in any more, some powdered sugar 
should be spread on a molding board. The 
mixture should then be removed from the 
pan to the board and the dough kneaded 
the same as ordinary bread dough, adding 
sugar from time to time to prevent stick¬ 
ing. The candy should be worked and 
worked by some good strong arms and 
hands until all the sugar has been incor¬ 
porated that it is possible to get in, and 
yet not have it too stiff nor too soft and 
moist. The proportion should be about 
two pounds of invert sugar or honey to 
five pounds of powdered sugar. The 
kneading should be kept up for at least 
half an hour. If too much sugar is worked 
in, the candy will become dry and hard; if 
not enough, it will be soft, sticky, and 
shiny. If the candy has been handled 
properly it should hold its shape or form 
and not become sticky or “run” out of the 
candy hole in a queen-cage at a tempera¬ 
ture of 80 degrees. Summer temperature 
will seldom exceed this; and if the candy 
holds its shape at this temperature it will 
do so when it is colder. It may then be 
set away in a closed tin pan and used as 
a food to fill cages. 
During very moist hot weather it may 
be necessary, just before filling the cages, 
to knead in a little more sugar. 
During exceptionally hot summers it re¬ 
quires two pounds of invert sugar or honey 
to six of powdered sugar. 
The holes for holding the candy in 
queen-cages should be lined with paraffin 
or beeswax, and the top covered with par¬ 
affin paper. The object of this is to pre¬ 
vent the moisture of the candy from evapo¬ 
rating and being absorbed into the wood. 
This absorption and evaporation would 
make the bee-feed dry and hard. It should 
be maintained not sticky but slightly moist 
and soft, to the journey's end. 
Postal regulations in the United States 
require on the part of every queen-breeder 
who sends queens by mail one of two things 
—a certificate of inspection from a duly 
authorized bee inspector certifying that 
no bee disease has been discovered in the 
yard in which the queens are reared, a 
copy of this to go on every package; or 
in the event that there is no bee-inspection 
law, and, of course, no inspector, the postal 
authorities require a statement, duly at¬ 
tested before a notary, that the honey of 
which the candy has been made has been 
boiled 20 minutes in a closed vessel. 
But experience shows that boiled honey 
does not make good queen-cage candy. The 
character of the honey is so changed by 
boiling that queens are apt to die oh it in 
the space of a short time. The real intent 
of the regulation, which is to prevent the 
dissemination of bee disease, can be better 
subserved by using invert sugar in place 
of honey. (See Invert Sugar.) This is 
a syrup having about equal propoi'tions of 
levulose and dextrose; and in this one re¬ 
spect it is very similar to honey; but, of 
course, it lacks some of the food elements 
of nature’s product. However, because it 
has never been in contact with the bees, 
and therefore could contain no germs of 
disease, and because chemically it is so 
nearly like honey, it can be used in place of 
honey in making candy. As there is so 
much foul brood present over the country, 
it is always safer to give to bees a candy 
that contains no honey. 
Invert sugar syrup can usually be ob¬ 
tained of any large candy-maker. A very 
good article is sold under the name of 
nullomoline by the Nullomoline Co., New 
York. This is made without acids, from 
granulated sugar, and is preferable to the 
ordinary invert sugar syrup made with the 
use of acids. 
For long-distance shipments, and for 
valuable queens, where proper precautions 
are taken in securing a honey that is free 
from disease, it is advisable to use a light- 
colored extracted honey of best quality in 
making queen-cage candy. This honey 
should come from a locality where there 
has never been any foul brood, in order to 
be really safe. A queen-cage candy using 
honey will hold its shape and consistency, 
or, more exactly, a soft mealy condition, 
