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FEEDING BACK 
the part of our best beekeepers has been 
toward feeding enough in the fall to last 
not only all winter but during the spring 
and until the honey flow. Experience seems 
to show that spring feeding very often does 
more harm than good by over-stimulation. 
Brood is expanded beyond the capacity of 
the bees to cover and keep warm. Robbing 
is often induced. Beginners especially are 
apt to overdo it; and even a veteran will 
sometimes get his colonies so strong before 
an extra supply of nectar comes in, that 
swarming will be brought on prematurely. 
This question of feeding heavily in the 
fall to last until the honey flow the follow¬ 
ing year, or feeding moderately in the fall 
and stimulating the following spring, de¬ 
pends somewhat on the locality, and very 
largely on the man himself. Many bee¬ 
keepers of experience, especially in some 
localities, can doubtless practice spring 
feeding to advantage; but, as a rule, begin¬ 
ners will do better to give all their colonies 
enough in the fall. 
FEEDING AT NIGHT OR DURING A RAIN' WHEN 
ROBBERS ARE BAD. 
During a dearth of honey, when rob¬ 
bers are bad, especially in hot climates, 
colonies can be fed during a light rain, 
or at night if it is a case of emergency. 
When the rain is over, or as soon as day¬ 
light comes, the feed will, in all probabil¬ 
ity, be taken up, and all excitement in the' 
hive be over. When feeding at night, a 
lantern can be used; but it should be placed 
some little distance from the hive where 
feed is being given. A small pocket flash- 
lamp can be used advantageously to place 
the feeders and to pour the syrup, after 
which, to prevent attracting bees, the light 
should be cut off. 
In warm or tropical climates it is never 
advisable to feed during the day if there is 
a dearth of honey, as it is liable to stir up 
the whole apiary, resulting in serious rob¬ 
bing and the destruction of some of the 
weaker colonies. 
As a matter of fact, feeding at all times 
should be avoided, if possible. It should 
be considered only as a necessary evil, as 
a rule. Natural stores are much superior 
to sugar syrup, except during cold weather 
when there is no brood-rearing. 
FEEDING BACK. —This subject is one 
interesting a large number of beekeepers 
in the comb-honey class, the main object, 
perhaps, being to prevent unfinished sec¬ 
tions. 
Many who attempt to feed back, fail on 
account of the many difficulties encoun¬ 
tered. J. E. Hand of Birmingham, Ohio, 
has made a thoro study of this subject, and 
he finds that, while the work can be profit¬ 
ably done, much attention must be given to 
the details, since there are many things to 
take into consideration. 
It is more practicable, he says, to use a 
feeder in which the honey can be given 
below the brood-chamber instead of on top, 
as this is the more natural wav for the 
bees, and they take it more read'ly. The 
Quinby feeder has a tin tray, 2 inches deep, 
enclosed by a wooden frame of the same 
depth, which is the same width as the hive, 
but 2Y2 inches longer. The tin tray is ex¬ 
actly the same length as the hive, and when 
in use is pushed to the back end of the 
frame surrounding it, leaving a space of 
2 y 2 inches in front for the bees to pass out 
and into the hive. The other end of the tin 
tray projects 2 1 /2 inches beyond the hive at 
the back to allow space for filling it. A 
framework of slats lengthwise of the feed¬ 
er sits in the tray for the bees to travel 
over while working in the feeder so that 
they may not be drowned. The feeder 
rests squarely on the bottom-board, and 
the hive covers the feeder except the 2^/2 
inches at the back end, which space is cov¬ 
ered by a little board. The bees cannot 
get into the place where the feed is poured 
in, and the honey (about six quarts) flows 
evenly under all parts of the hive, where 
it can be quickly taken up by the bees. 
Many fail in their attempt at feeding 
back because they select the wrong time of 
the year. It is best to begin right after the 
main honey flow has ceased before the 
work in the supers.is over, and use fresh 
honey the day it is extracted. At this time 
the bees naturally go right on as tho the 
flow had not stopped. It is best to give 
about six quarts of thinned-down honey to 
each colony every other day. The interval 
between the feeding allows the bees time to 
remove the honey from the brood-cells, 
where it is first placed, to the supers. No 
definite rule can be given for thinning 
