200 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



of these ten colonies becoming diseased. 

 During the interval ft, if there is disease 

 it will be among the first fonr colonies 

 named; during interval c onlj' among six ; 

 during interval d, only among eiglit. Af- 

 ter March 1, if very cold weather is expe- 

 rienced, or if the hives are not properly 

 protected, all of tiie ten colonies are lial)le 

 to become diseased; but the chances of 

 escape are in favor of those which were 

 last to reach the top-bars and against the 

 first. 



The question arises, what lias the posi- 

 tion of the clustered bees to do with tlie 

 bringing on of the disease, if the cause is 

 to be referred to improper food? If tiie 

 honey in the upper region of the hive is 

 unfit for bee-food, why is not that below? 



But let us try another experiment. Take 

 a good, strong colony. It is no matter 

 about the quantity of stores; and in phice 

 of the honey-board place over it an empty 

 hive, or a box, without top or bottom, of 

 the same dimensions as the hive. To pre- 

 vent its being moved, light cleats should 

 be nailed on the lower edge, or straw may 

 be piled around on all sides except the en- 

 trance. Now lay a piece of oii-cloth on 

 the frames, and over this tuck snugly a 

 piece of heavy blanket or quilt. Cover 

 with a heavy board to Iveep out rain or 

 snow. As soon as the clustered l)ees reach 

 the top- bars, take six one- pound se(;tions 

 of sealed honey, cut out entrance-ways iu 

 the sides, and lay them close together, 

 side downward, in such a manner that the 

 centerof the clustered bees will be directly 

 under the general centre of the sections, 

 lieplace the coverings, and do not dislnfb 

 them until about the time they will have 

 consumed most of the honey in the sec- 

 tions, when aimtlier course must be laid 

 on, and so continue as long as the bees 

 approach the coverings. 



The result of this experiment will be, 

 that the colony operated upon will he alive 

 and in good healthon the first day of April, 

 or thereab(nits, no matter whether there 

 is pollen in the honey or not; no matter 

 what kind of honey is used, only that it 

 must be sealed, whether from white clo- 

 ver or buckwheat; gathered in the spring 

 or fall, it nndies no difference in the result. 

 If anyone doubts this, it may be verified 

 or disproved during the connng winter. 



What the experiments prove. 



These experiments, together with oth- 

 ers not mentioned, prove conclusively to 

 me that qiialiti/ of food has seldom, if ever, 

 any part in producing diarrlicea, so called ; 

 and acting upon this tlicory, I have been 

 enabled to so prepare my bees that I have 

 liad no losses from this cause during the 

 last five winters, and shall prepare my col- 



onies for the coming winter with perfect 

 confidence that they will pass that here- 

 tofore critical period in vigorous health, 

 ir the reader of this article desires to 

 know what name I would give the disease, 

 I would say that I am not an expert at 

 clinicaldiagnosis, therefore I have not un- 

 limited confidence iu my conclusions: but 

 if he will, for the time being, throw aside 

 all preconceived notions about ventilation, 

 absorption, hil)ernation, pollen consump- 

 tion, etc., watch his bees and read some 

 standard work on catarrh, he may, or may 

 not, come to the conclusion to name it in- 

 testinal catarrh. 



How to prevent winter losses. 

 The main point, however, is to know 

 how to prevent this trouble, and this can 

 be done by the following: 



1. Never stinting the bees in their sup- 

 ply of honey. 



2. Keeping the hives so protected that 

 tlie heat generated l)y the bees will be re- 

 tained as long as possible within tlie hive. 



I have no confidence in any system of 

 wintering bees which does away with hive 

 protection, not even when wintered in a 

 cellar. The first cost is an item, but it 

 pays well in the end. 



Blairstoion, Iowa. 



From Gleanings. 



Bee Stings. 



What becomes of the part remaining in 



the tlesh after the top is broken off. 



I am requested by a subscriber to Glean- 

 ings to explain how the bee sting is removed 

 from one's skin when broken ofl' in the act 

 of stinging. He suggests that, if it does 

 not work out, it must be absorbed by the 

 system ; in which case he thinks that some 

 beekeepers must be largely composed of 

 stings. 



The skin consists of two layers — the 

 outer scarf skin, or cuticle, also called ep- 

 idermis, and the imier true skin or curium, 

 also cutis vera. The outer skin is made 

 up of what is known as scaly, or pavement 

 epithelium ; that is, it consists of innumer- 

 able minute overlapping scales. The inner 

 scales contain pigment in their substance, 

 and thus the color of the skin. The albino 

 has no pigment, and hence his skin is trans- 

 parent, and looks piidvish, as we look right 

 through and see minute blood- vessels llUed 

 witli blood. The inner skin consists of 

 an outer part, which like the cuticle, has 

 no nerve, and so is not sensible to pain 

 or touch. This is made up of white fibrous 

 tissue and small involuniary muscles con- 

 tract if the skin is chdled, and drawing the 



