350 
FEEDING AND FEEDERS 
honey laid on top of the frames, or candy 
made of granulated sugar. See Candy 
for Bees. 
The difference in cost between a first 
quality of extracted honey in the comb 
and sugar syrup when sealed in the comb 
is so little that, if there are combs of good 
natural stores, rather than extract them it 
would be better to set them aside, and then 
in the fall give these combs to such colonies 
as have an insufficient supply. But in any 
case it would be wise not to use all such 
combs, because, in the spring, it is some¬ 
times very handy to have them ready, in 
case of an unexpected shortage, so that 
they can be placed right down at the side 
of the brood-nest of a colony. If combs 
of sealed stores are not to be had, it is ad¬ 
visable to give cakes of candy, as described 
under Candy for Bees. 
HOW TO MAKE THE SYRUP. 
Something will depend on whether the 
bees are to be fed for the purpose of in¬ 
ducing brood-rearing or to give a supply 
for winter. For stimulating, a syrup made 
of one part of sugar to two of water by 
bulk is about right. If the water is hot 
the sugar will dissolve more readily. For a 
winter food given early in the fall the pro¬ 
portion should be about two parts of sugar 
to one of water. For late feeding, just be¬ 
fore cold weather comes on, the ratio 
should be about two and half to one. 
When made as thick as this the syrup is 
liable to go back to sugar to some extent, 
and sometimes it is necessary to put in 
about a teaspoonful of tartaric acid to 
every 20 pounds of sugar. Others find it 
better to use honey. The proportion of 
honey should be about one-third by bulk 
of the amount of water used. If honey 
is used care should be taken to see that it 
comes from hives where there has never 
been any foul brood. 
A syrup made by mixing two parts of 
water to one of sugar, or equal parts of 
both, does not necessarily require heat. 
The water may be poured into a receptacle 
cold, and sugar stirred in until the requi¬ 
site quantity is reached.' The stirring will 
have to be continued until the sugar is dis¬ 
solved. If there is any quantity to be 
mixed in that Avay, an ordinary honey-ex¬ 
tractor serves as a very excellent agitator. 
The machine is filled nearly half-full of 
water, when the sugar is poured in little by 
little while the reel is being turned. It 
will have to be revolved until the sugar is 
all dissolved. After a vigorous turning of 
the crank, even after the sugar is thoroly 
mixed, there will be a number of small air- 
bubbles. These will all disappear if the 
‘syrup is allowed to stand for a while. 
When the proportion of the sugar is two 
to one or two and a half to one, it is advis¬ 
able to use hot or boiling'water. 
Syrup can be mixed in a common wash- 
boiler where heat is employed. In that case 
the boiler is put on the stove and filled with 
the requisite quantity of water. After it 
has come to a boil, the sugar is slowly 
stirred in, a little at a time. While on the 
stove the mixture must be kept thoroly 
stirred to prevent the undissolved sugar 
from settling on the bottom and burning. 
Care should be taken, because burnt sugar 
or syrup is liable to be fatal to the bees. 
In many cases syrup has to be prepared 
at the outyard. Or perhaps the good wife 
objects to having her stove mussed up. 
While an oil or gasoline stove will heat the 
water, either one is very slow. Some use 
and recommend a good-sized common gal¬ 
vanized washtub, such as can be obtained 
at any hardware store at a comparatively 
low price. This is placed outdoors on four 
or five stones of suitable size. The right 
proportion of water is poured into the tub. 
A fire is then built under, and when the 
water comes to a boil the granulated sugar 
is slowly stirred in. After it is all dis¬ 
solved, the fire should be scraped out from 
under the tub to prevent overheating or 
burning. This work should be done on a 
cool or rainy day when the bees are not 
flying; otherwise robbing may be started. 
FEEDERS. 
There have been hundreds of feeders in¬ 
vented and put on the market. Some of 
them are very complicated, and the more 
so the less useful. If one desires to keep 
down his investment he may use common 
tin pans. These can be placed in the upper 
story of the hive and filled with syrup. On 
top of the syrup should be laid a strip of 
cheese cloth that has been dampened in wa¬ 
ter. The bees will crawl up on the cloth 
and get the syrup without danger of 
