lo >fAV. 191 I ■] W mitring Bus. 317 



bees down to a single story, which will give the best results under all the 

 varying conditions of strength in bees and climatic influences. When 

 colonies are left with one super full of ripe honey, in addition to the 

 brood chamber, they winter well. But not many bee-keepers are prepared 

 to leave so much honey in the hives, which is not needed by the bees and 

 represents in a large apiary a considerable money value which cannot be 

 realized till the following spring. At the same time, there is a risk of 

 .some of the honey granulating in the combs, and then it cannot be obtained 

 except by the destruction of the combs. 



When supers with empty combs are left on, the heat generated by the 

 cluster of bees escapes upwards and the bees sometimes follow it and 

 establish their seat between the empty combs. Some of the honev is 

 carried up by this means and the operation cau.ses unnatural activity, 

 greater consumption of stores, and wearing out of bees. 



With the empty combs put below the cluster of bees, the same advan- 

 tages of conserving heat and ease of occasional examination are .secured, 

 as when bees are wintered in a single hive body. But combs below the 

 l)rood are apt to become rather dirty, and sometimes mouldy. 



Since it has becon-se known that the Nosema afis parasite is present in 

 almost everv apiary, there is an additional reason for the removal from 

 ihe hives of all combs not required by the bees during winter. According 

 to Dr. Zander, the discoverer of Nosema apis, the chief .source of infec- 

 tion is the combs .soiled with the faeces of diseased bees. During the 

 working season, bees void their excrements outside the hive ; moreover, the 

 life of the bee during active field work in summer is so short that infected 

 bees wear out in the natural course of events before the di.sease has 

 reached the final stage, as in the case of the bees which came through the 

 winter. 



The removal of all sur|)lus combs, at the end of the season, will 

 therefore do much to keep them free from the infection, which undoubtedly 

 would take place during winter should an outbreak of malignant 

 dy.sentery occur. Thus, only one set of combs would have to be boiled 

 down, instead of two or more. In the ca.se of small colonies, the reduc- 

 tion can be carried still further. The writer has repeatedly .successfully 

 wintered bees on three or four combs by confining them to one side of the 

 hive (the side facing the sun) by means of a division board, or by putting 

 two small stocks into one hive, a thin tightlv fitting board and a separate 

 entrance for each keeping them apart. 



This crowding of bees on a limited number of combs has also the 

 advantage of being a preventive of robbing. Robbing is generally 

 started, in the first instance, by bees prowling round and finding honey 

 in the unguarded outside combs of a colony. Becoming bolder, by 

 degrees, the roblx-rs will attack any poorlv defendi^d hive. Bees from 

 (Aher hives, attracted bv the commotion, join in and share in the plunder. 

 As colonies affected with Foul Brr/^d are poor defenders of their home, 

 such a colony, if oin- is in tlie apiary, usually falls a victim to the robbers 

 and the roblx?rs in turn develop disea.se in their hives. 



In conclusion, the writer would point out that any combs remo\e(i from 

 the hives should l^e at once secured from access by Ix^e moths, by tiering 

 the cases and securely covering the top and bf>ttoni of each staik. It 

 is during the aiitiinni that the wax or Xicr moth d<*posits its eggs on the 

 combs, although the grubs do not appear till soring. Ofl.-n the bee- 

 keeper is unaware that th(> eggs are present wh«'n he can-fullv packs 

 awav his combs, after lea\ing tln-m exposed to the moths for a ^hort 

 lime. 



