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THE HONEY-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND. 53

The bees will soon empty them. If you think they want
some more food, boil some sugar with water or mild beer
into a syrup, about the consistency of thin treacle ; do not
use the very coarse sugar - for this the bees do not like --
nor boil the syrup for longer than is neccessary to dissolve the
sugar ; stir it also that it may not burn. Then pour some
of this syrup out of a bottle, or tin made like an oil feeder,
into the cells of the comb which has been emptied, and
place it before the hive as before. Remember that there
is no better food for bees than honey, when it can be got
(it is mother's milk to them), nor any better feeder than
a piece of empty honey comb.

Another time when feeding is necessary, is if a succes--
sion of very bad weather sets in after a new swarm has
been hived. I have told you that each bee swarms with
her honey bag full. They convert this into wax during
the first and second days. You may observe that very few
bees stir out the first day ; after that they want a fresh
supply ; and if by stress of weather they are prevented
from going abroad to seek it, a few pounds of honey or
syrup will be well bestowed, and amply repaid. It is not
like an alms given to an idle beggar, but a seasonable loan
to an industrious tradesman.

Water for Bees.

There is one other sort of food which bees require, and
which they cannot do without, viz., water ; which you will
do well to supply them with, if they do not find it near their
hives. It is bad to have your hives quite close to a large
river or pool of water, for thousands of bees will be beaten
down into the water by high winds, when they are return-
ing heavily laden to their hives ; but a small rivulet is a
good thing to have near : in the summer season you will
see a great number of bees, standing on any little stones or
bits of grass which may be by its edge, drinking to their
heart's content. In defect of a stream, they will find out
any pump or water butt which is handy to their hive,
and satisfy themselves there ; or at places where the
water they get is stagnant, or even impure. But as water
carrying is heavy work for bees as well as for men, it is