214 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUEIST. 



These pollen <>n>iiis and shells are mixed 

 with wax in different ways. Many j^rains 

 adhere to tlie wax as dust; and, later, get 

 worked into the wax by the bees, so we 

 see every part of a freshly built comb full 

 ofpoUeu. The cuticula in the combs is 

 the product of digestion of the larva. 



The larva does not empty itself before 

 the cocoon is spun, because its stomacli is 

 closed by an inner skin. But after this 

 time the larva empties the alimentary 

 canal with this inner skin of the stomacli 

 and tiiese excreta^ lie ou the bottom of 

 the cell. The bees clean this out, but some 

 will adhere to the wax and thereof the 

 cuticula and remainder of pollen in the 

 combs. 



It is well known in Germany, that after- 

 swarms with new combs go through the 

 winter in a worse condition than colonies 

 ou old combs. Further, we know that in 

 early spring for want of pollen, the bees 

 many times gatlier some substitutes. So 

 Sclioenfeld was of the opinion that the 

 pollen contained in old combs is some- 

 times used by the bees and proved this by 

 the following experiment: 



He formed two nuclei, which had no food 

 for two days in onler to do away with all 

 surplus store in tlie honey or true stomach. 

 In thirty hours colony A received a freshly 

 built comb witli one to three d;iys old 

 larvae and two freshly built combs with 

 sugar syrup, without any pollen. Colony 

 J5 received two old black combs and sugar 

 syrup and a freshly built comb with brood 

 without any polloi. The colonies were 

 located in a dry, dark cellar. 



In the chyle stomach of bees out of 

 colony A he found after four days no pol- 

 len ; but bees of colony Shad pollen grains 

 and shells and many small black shreds, 

 which could be parts of the black combs 

 only. But the experiment did not give 

 any better result, because the two colonies 

 had^destroyed the brood in less than four 

 days. 



So he experimented in another way. A 

 black and a freshly built comb, each con- 

 taining one to tliree days old brood, were 

 surrounded by the double wire screen 

 mentioned before, and introduced into the 

 brood-nest of a strong colony. Before 

 this plenty of bees from colony A were 

 introduced which had had no pollen for 

 seven days. After four days the examina- 

 tion of the brood showed, that the larva; 

 in the black combs had pollen grains, shells 

 and the above mentioned black shreds in 

 the alimentary canal, while the brood of 

 the white comb contained pure chyle. This 

 seems to indicate that the bees can use 

 the nitrogenous parts of old combs. 



The reader vvill remenil)er the experience 

 of J. M. Doolittle in winter 1884-5 with 



one colony dying of diarrhoia wintered on 

 sugar stores and without pollen. Professor 

 Cook stated at this time tliat some nitro- 

 genous food must necessarily have been 

 in the reach of the bees, ^vhile Doolittle 

 asserted that the colony did not gather 

 any pollen. Now we see, both were right ; 

 the bees used very probably the nitrogen 

 contained in the comb. The matter is not 

 settled yet and Schoenfeld is willing to 

 experiment further. But we know, tliat 

 pollen or some other albuminous food is 

 necessary for bees to rear brood. In early 

 winter, they may use no pollen at all, but 

 as soon as t)rood-rearing commences, thej^ 

 need nitrogen. 



According to Heddon's pollen theory, 

 we shall winter without pollen. If the 

 bees will use the substitute in the combs, 

 the whole trouble is useless and Doolittle's 

 experience seems to indicate this. More 

 than this, as soon as brood-rearing com- 

 mences and the bees can't get enough pol- 

 len inside of the hive, they will get uneasy 

 and this always causes danger of dysen- 

 ery. Admitting that dysentery is caused 

 by eating pollen in confinement, only one 

 remedy is possil)le and this is to keep the 

 bees from breeding as long as possible. 

 On the other side, the bees need pollen to 

 preserve their own vitality and if it is 

 not in their reacii, they will suffer and in 

 the spring we have many dead bees. Very 

 probably the so-called spring dwindling 

 has much to do with want of pollen. I 

 do not know this, because T never had any 

 trottble with spring dwindling; but many 

 experiments of Berlepscli proved that 

 worker bees forced to breed or to build 

 combs without pollen or other nitrogenous 

 food, suffer badly and will die in a short 

 time. 



I remark further of the i)ollen theory, 

 that quite the same was published in Ger- 

 many about 1778, but was soon abandoned. 



The old beekeepers in Hanover selecteil 

 all the time colonies with as much pollen 

 as possible, and they understand how^ to 

 winter their Ijces in straw hives every year 

 with very few losses. Now it is recom- 

 mended by Schoenfeld too, to look at a 

 sutficient amount of pollen and if no i)olleu 

 is stored and white comljs only in the hive, 

 to give some old combs as pollen substi- 

 tute ; this is (juite contrary to Heddon's 

 pollen theory. 



"Water for bees. 



Another (juestion in wintering i)ees is, 

 do the bees need water in winter or not? 

 The readers know that, besides others. 

 Prof. A. J. Cook experimented with 

 watering bees in winter. Tlic l)ees took 

 the water l)ut wintered worse than the 

 unwatered colonies. This seems to be 



