I am decidedly of opinion that Bees fed in the Autumn should have honey, in preference to any other kind of food. Mr. Huish recommends "eight pounds of honey, six pounds of water, a bottle of white wine, and a pound of sugar, boiled and skimmed, to be bottled for use," he adds, "the most advisable method is not to make more than is immediately wanted, because there is some danger of its fermenting." Now if the Bees are allowed to store a quantity of this, or any other similar kind of food in their hives, will it not in all probability ferment there also? this is my reason for recommending honey only—indeed I have never seen Bees so healthy as those fed on the simple mixture of honey and water. In Spring, other kinds of food may answer very well, as a small portion only is given at a time, and very little of it deposited in the combs. A very good Spring food may be made with honey and sweet wort, or with raw sugar and sweet wort, boiled and skimmed.
The proportions would be, one pound of sugar, or half a pound of honey, to two pints of strong wort.
For feeding weak stocks many things have been prescribed, but nothing is so proper and natural as honey, but I dislike feeding altogether, except a little in the beginning of the year, through the lateness of the Spring some hives (otherwise sufficiently supplied) may require it. Early swarms may also require a little honey when the weather proves unfavourable for their collecting it the four or five first days succeeding their being hived, but in both these cases a very small quantity will be found sufficient. Autumn feeding very rarely answers the purpose of the proprietor. Uniting the weak stocks at that season as directed in Chapter VIII. will be found much more advantageous.
CHAPTER XI.
Enemies of Bees and means of overcoming them.
Gelieu says, "that nothing is more prejudicial to Bees than ignorant attention, their most formidable enemies are, perhaps, their possessors, who busy themselves to torment them, and weaken and kill them by too much care. In Winter, they hurt them by shutting them up, and in Spring, the giving them a little honey is not always attended to, neither is the guarding them from moths, which, at that time, make the greatest havoc, nor is the narrowing of the entrances to prevent them being robbed. Some people suffocate them in Autumn, that they may possess themselves of their provisions; and others take out the best of the honey, and often too much of it, and so expose them to die of hunger.
"I therefore place, in the foremost rank of their enemies, those of their possessors, who, by their own ignorance and inexperience, hinder them from prospering and multiplying."—To all this I am sorry to say that I can bear testimony.
Amongst the enemies of Bees are enumerated, ants, moths, birds, poultry, mice, wasps, and spiders. Ants perhaps are their least dangerous enemies, for though they cannot sting them, they carry them to a distance.
Ants may be destroyed by pouring boiling water into their nests, and the operation will be greatly assisted by making holes into them with a sharp stick, so as to allow the water to flow readily to the bottom of them. Mr. Huish says, "to preserve my Bees from these vermin, I always fasten a piece of sheep's skin, with its wool on round the bottom of the pedestal," it has been said, that these insects dislike both garlick and shalots and they will not harbour in the ground in which these vegetables are grown.
Moths[10] are by far their most formidable and dangerous enemies, great numbers of hives are destroyed by them every year, it therefore requires the utmost vigilance on the part of the Bee-keeper to defend his favourites from these most powerful assailants. It is in the caterpillar state that they commit their ravages, and it is truly astonishing to observe the rapidity with which they destroy a hive, when they get established in it. It must be observed that hives managed upon the Depriving System, that are expected to stand for ten, fifteen or even twenty years are much more subject to the incursions of moths, than those which are destroyed every year. The best method of preventing their increase is the frequent cleansing of the hive floors, for the female generally deposits her eggs between the hive and the board on which it stands, or in the dust that accumulates at the bottom. Upon removing the hive the moths maybe seen in the larva state upon the floor, and are easily destroyed. Moths and spiders, says Dr. Bevan, "should be watched and destroyed, in an evening, as at that time the former are hovering about, and the latter laying their snares." He also recommends a frequent cleaning of the hive floors.—Huish says, "the butterfly of the moth that redoubtable enemy of the Bee, appears in April, and continues until October. Destroy them as much as possible; frighten not away the bats which fly about the hives, as they devour a great number of them." He says also, "I would always advise an Apiarian to fix his attention particularly on a hive, the Bees of which appear to be in inaction, whilst the Bees of other hives are in activity.—If this inaction continue for ten days, or a fortnight, not a moment then should be lost in examining the hive, and the ravages of the moth will soon present themselves."