12 



THF BEE-KEEPERS' REViujW. 



210 of the Noerdliche Bienenzeitung for 1857 

 and page 151 of 1859), which causes injurious, 

 but not disastrous effects in the intestines 

 of bees ; but a culture in sugar and gelatine 

 showed it to be new and different. It is 

 closely related to the foregoing ; but still 

 more closely to the f uugus Oidium albicans, 

 which attacks the mouths of infants. A re- 

 port can not yet be made of any practical 

 remedies. Borax is recomended for atrial, 

 also " uebermangausaures Kali" (acid 

 hypermanganate of potash ? ) 



The Hessische Biene gives an original 

 variation of an old method of introducing. 

 Hold the queen by the thorax in the right 

 hand, and with the left make a hole of the 

 size of a walnut in a honey comb; press the 

 queen in it so that her feet stick in tlie 

 honey, and fasten over her a piece of per- 

 forated paper. 



N. Ludwig thinks bees pass much easier 

 through excluder openings whf^n they have 

 the opportunity of walking on wood close up 

 to the opening. 



Leipzigeb Bienenzeitung. — What Herr 

 Pees calls the " running sickness " showed 

 itself in his apiary last spring just after 

 every heavy fog, and lasted two days in each 

 case. The bees rolled out of the hives in 

 groups, jumping convulsively up and down 

 at first, then running around in diminish- 

 ing circles, until when exhausted they died 

 in groups like the radii of a circle, with 

 their heads next each other. The sick bees 

 showed no disposition to sting when their 

 bodies were handled, but when the head was 

 touched, the sting was at once protruded. 

 The abdomen appeared normal. The con- 

 tents of the intestines were watery and pur- 

 ple. A weak solution of epsom salts was 

 given in their food, but they would not take 

 it. Bees of neighboring apiaries, also 

 affected with the disease, were said to have 

 taken epsom salts, and shown swollen abdo- 

 mens but no good effects resulted. 



At the Reichenberd convention. Pastor 

 Fleischmann read an interesting paper on 

 thermometrical observations of the interior 

 of hives. He uses thermometers construct- 

 ed for that special purpose, to be introduced 

 in the flight-hole. Independently of the ex- 

 ternal temperature, there is a constant fluctu- 

 ation in internal temperature, both winter 

 and summer. The ordinary conception of 

 the immovability of the cluster in cold weath- 

 er will have to be revised. Severe cold out- 

 side is followed by a rise iu hive temperature 



for a day or two, followed by a depression. 

 Numerous observations show that a top en- 

 trance in winter is an excellent thing ; but 

 there should be no bottom entrance at the 

 same time, as both together cause restless- 

 ness, increased consumption, and early 

 brood-rearing. With only a top entrance, 

 the cluster easily reaches it when the bees 

 wish to fly, and belated bees on their return 

 are not chilled before arriving at the center 

 of warmth. When in summer, with both 

 entrances in use, the upper one is stopped 

 up with an outer temperature of 803^° to 8G° 

 F., a thermometer in the upper part of the 

 hive at once shows a rise of temperature, 

 and when the obstruction is removed, sinks 

 to from nC) to 77°, while at the same time a 

 therometer in the lower part ot the hive is 

 indicating 77 to 903^°. Hence an immense 

 amount of labor in fanning in summer is 

 spared to the bees by an upper entrance, in 

 addition to the lower one. 



Different colonies in the apiary, apparent- 

 ly quite equal in strength and other respects, 

 show quite different temperatures. 



A glance at the thermometer shows wheth- 

 er the flow is good or bad. But it is still 

 inexplicable why, with the outer tempera- 

 ture invariable, the inner should fluctuate 

 ■13^° to 7°, and why, when during a night 

 there has been a sinking of from SO' to ()G% 

 on the next night the fluctuatation should 

 only be from 84 to 78'. 



When one has time for frequent observa- 

 tions, the thermometer is a sure indication 

 by its sudden shoot upwards, that the colo- 

 ny will shortly swarm. Contrary to expec- 

 tation, feeding does not seriously affect it. 

 For a few hours it rises 7^ to 9°, but the next 

 day all is the same as before. 



According to the Rucher Beige, a sow that 

 had been tied before a bee-hive was cover- 

 ed with stings, and severly injured. Her 

 litter of pigs starved, and both her ears 

 dropped off. This case, together with that 

 of Mrs. Sherman's pigs, as reported in the 

 American Bee .Journal, and a case in Italy 

 previously reported in the Review, makes 

 the efficacy of " hog's-back apifnge" rather 

 mythical. 



A case was recently reported of a colony 

 absconding in the fall, which had been so 

 abundantly fed as to store some in the 

 surplus department. Commenting on this, 

 N. Ludwig says the reason was it had no 

 empty cells to cluster on for winter, 

 and cites another case, in which a colony 



