Some persons feed their Bees at the top of the hive, but it is much too tedious and sparing a way, in my opinion for Autumn feeding, in the Spring it does very well. This feeder is of wood with a cover of glass, it has a hole through its centre, corresponding with one at the top of the hive, which enables the Bees to pass into it, and take the honey—I believe it was invented by Wildman.
CHAPTER X.
Food proper for weak Hives.
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, 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.