22 



SEVENTEENTH InNUAL REPORT OF THE 



4. Hives too cold or damp. If moisture 

 from the breath of the bees is not carried 

 out of the hive by some means such as 

 through a deep cus'nion of some kind over 

 the bees that will absorb moisture and at 

 the same time retain the heat, or by some 

 means of ventilation, so that all is dry and 

 comfortable. If mold forms on the combs 

 or cellar is so damp as to form mold, there 

 is great danger the bees will have dysentery 

 and die. 



TREATMENT. 



1. First of all, have an abundance of 

 combs of sealed clover or bass wood honey 

 in brood-frames carefully saved, and see 

 that each colony is wintered on such food. 

 Three or four such combs will winter a 

 fair colony safely, if confined on those 

 combs late in the fall, and the hive con- 

 tracted to fit the same. This is one of the 

 most important conditions for success in 

 wintering. 



2. If in the fall the bees have gathered 

 this unwholesome honey from the above 

 named sources, it should all be extracted 

 and either exchanged for those honey- 

 combs, or feed the bees good honey or 

 sugar syrup until winter stores are secured. 



This should be done before cold weather 

 in the fall. 



3. Hives contracted auJ made com- 

 fortable, whether in cellar or outdoors. 



4. If wintered in chaff hives outdoors, 

 with feed as above directed, and there 

 come one or two warm spells during 

 winter, so that the bees can have a cleans- 

 ing rfight, they will not have dysentery or 

 dead brood, and will be much stronger 

 when clover opens. 



If wintered in the cellar, the bees will 

 not need so much honey, and if the winters 

 are generally long, with doubtful warm 

 spells, the cellar wiQ be best. But to keep 

 the bees from dysentery, so often fatal to 

 cellar-wintered bees, they should have such 

 winter stores as above spoken of, then the 

 cellar kept at a mediiun temperature, 

 about 32 deg. F., ventilated so the air is 

 fresh, and no mold will form in the cellar. 

 Fresh air-slaked lime on the bottom of 

 the cellar may help, if it is damp or has 

 poor air. 



5. Dysentery will not appear if bees are 

 kept on sugar syrup, or best grade white 

 clover or bass wood honey, and are in a 

 dry place, either sheltered by cellar or 

 chaff -hive. 



