356 Beekeeping 



cool weather, and if bees go into the cellar after being with- 

 out a flight for a couple of weeks they are poorly prepared 

 for the winter confinement. With improved cellar condi- 

 tions and with the proper food, bees may be put in earlier 

 without detriment. 



It is often equally difficult to decide when bees should 

 be put back on their summer stands. They should not 

 be taken out until fresh pollen and nectar are available, 

 unless they show pronounced signs of dysentery, as indicated 

 by spotting of the hive or by undue excitement. If the 

 cellar temperature and humidity are right, they may prof- 

 itably be left in until danger of severe cold is practically past. 



After colonies are removed from the cellar, they may 

 profitably be given protection to aid in the conservation 

 of heat. The elaborate packing used on colonies wintered 

 outdoors is not practical for the spring, but the more colonies 

 are protected from the wind and the more insulation that is 

 given to conserve heat, the better the bees are able to build 

 up rapidly to full strength. 



Effects of confinement. 



Bees normally do not eject their feces in the hive, and if 

 confined there for a time, either outdoors or in the bee cellar, 

 feces may so accumulate that the bees are unable to hold 

 them. The hive and combs are then spotted and this con- 

 dition the beekeeper knows as dysentery. The feces are 

 composed of the parts of the food which cannot be digested 

 and assimilated and of the excreted products. Therefore, 

 a food which contains an unusual amount of indigestible 

 material is ill suited for food during a period of confinement. 

 Honey-dew honey is specially bad, since it contains a rela- 

 tively large percentage of gums, and sugar syrup is ideal in 

 so far as the prevention of dysentery is concerned. 



It has been shown in the paper previously mentioned that 

 the accumulation of feces causes the bees to become more 

 active, and this in turn causes an increase in the tempera- 

 ture of the cluster (Fig. 145). The temperature may finally 



