Water.—A plentiful supply of clean water should be placed in the food shelter, for the bees use large quantities in the brood-rearing operations. In each gallon of water 2 oz. of table salt should be dissolved. The water should be placed in a glass jar which should be covered with a saucer and then inverted. Should the saucer be deep, some small pieces of wood or spent tea leaves should be placed in it to form alighting places for the bees. Another method of supplying water is to allow it to drip from a small barrel on to a sloping board.
When to Stop Spring Feeding.—Artificial feeding must be stopped as soon as the bees are able to collect their natural supplies of nectar and pollen. This is usually about the time when the sycamore blooms, but in districts where crocuses or willows are plentiful it will be earlier.
Autumn Feeding.—It is when the honey-flow is ended, and there is no more natural nectar available for the bees, that feeding must again be resorted to if the bees are to be saved through the winter. The old method of allowing the bees to fend for themselves and stand the risk of starvation in the winter is now looked upon not only as unnecessarily cruel but absolutely wasteful. The slight cost of feeding them is amply repaid by the strength of the stock when spring once more arrives.
When the bee-keepers are working up an apiary from swarms, or driven bees, autumn feeding is essential, for it is very seldom that late swarms or driven bees are capable of securing sufficient winter stores without the assistance of the bee-keeper.
Food given in autumn should contain less water than that given in the spring. The reason for this needs but slight consideration. In springtime when the days become increasingly warmer, and the temperature of the hive increases with the growth of the population, the bees need thinner food. The increasing heat of the hive would ripen thick nectar or syrup too quickly and give the bees extra work in collecting water with which to thin the food for the brood. In autumn, however, the tendency is to a falling temperature, and, though brood may be reared, the temperature of the external atmosphere will keep that in the hive down to the normal.
Syrup for autumn feeding made according to the following formula will be found to meet all requirements:—
| Cane Sugar | 10 | lb. |
| Water | 5 | pints |
| Salt | 1 | oz. |
| Vinegar | 1 | tablespoonful |
When feeding bees for the winter all supers of frames should be removed from the hives, otherwise the bees are liable to form two clusters, and it is generally the case in such an event that one of these falls a prey to cold when severe weather comes. The supers above the brood-chambers should be removed before feeding is commenced. If one is placed under the brood-chamber to give additional air-space the frames must be removed therefrom.
Winter Feeding.—If in winter the bees should be short of food, a cake of candy may be put in the hive, placing it on pieces of wood resting on the frames. The candy may be made in various ways. If some is required at short notice it may be obtained by mixing some castor sugar with a little thin honey into a stiff paste. If time will allow of the honey being heated so much the better, for the candy will then keep in good condition for some time.
A candy used by many bee-keepers for winter feeding is made by boiling 5 lb. of cane sugar in a quart of water for about 15 or 20 minutes. After the sugar has dissolved and the scum has been removed, the mixture should be allowed to boil briskly without stirring.