326 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ces are the brood nest is filled with pollen, and unless unexceptional 

 winter quarters are provided the bees will invariabl}^ have the dya- 

 enterj'. 



In 1873-74, I had fifty colonies of bees, and in my vicinity there 

 were a number of apiaries containing a hundred colonies or more. 

 Bee-keeping was at that time booming-, and the proprietors.wishing 

 to inake all they could out of their bees, prevented swarming and 

 extracted until the end of the season, and then divided their bees to 

 increase their stock. The results were they lost VX) and 10() per cent, 

 the next winter, while those who pursued the good old way of letting 

 their bees swarm naturally and in season did not loose over 10 per 

 cent. 



In the winter of 1874, wishing to test my theory, I prepared two 

 colonies of bees for wintering, by taking all of the pollen from one 

 hive and giving it to the other. Thej'^ were placed in the same cel- 

 lar, and wintered the same. The one without pollen did not spot 

 the snow when set out of winter quarters, while the other was badly 

 diseased. 



While I claim the reasons given are the principal ones, there are 

 others that help to make up the general results. The hives can 

 have an overplus of pollen, and if the winter quarters are of the 

 proper temperature and not too damp, the bees will winter without 

 much trouble; but if they are allowed to stand out in zero weather 

 and then put into winter quarters with combs frozen and the cellar 

 cold and dainp, the bees will invariably become diseased. 



Most bee-keepers have noticed, I persume, that bees hardly ever 

 are diseased until brood is hatched, as old bees are not expected to 

 eat pollen when good honey is at hand. It seems to me that in giv- 

 ing the cause that the cure can easily be guessed. 



First. I would follow nature as far as possible in letting- the bees 

 swarin naturallj'. 



Second. The hive should have a brood nest adapted to its surround- 

 ings, that is, the brood nest should be smaller in a location where 

 the honey season is short than where bees can gather honey the 

 year round. 



Third. The surplus should not be taken away at the expense of the 

 colony. It is better to crowd the bees a little than to have the body 

 of the hive filled with pollen. For that reason I would not extract 

 until the season was really over. It seems to be folly to kill the 

 goose that lays the golden egf^, or extracting in June from the body 

 of the hive in most seasons will end in the loss of the colonies. 



Fourth. Young queens, not over two years old, should be used. 

 They will keep down swarming, they will be more prolific and help 

 to make up what might be called a loss, bj"^ not extracting as soon 

 as the honey is placed in the cells or by removing tlie boxes early 

 to make a show of whiteness. 



I ain aware that many bee-keepers will not agree with me in my 

 views, as expressed herein. They will say that I am behind the 

 times. But until this question of dj'sentery is settled beyond a 

 doubt, I shall hold that it is better to go slow and sure than to be 

 running blindly in the dark. 



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