THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



145 



top, as the cord works satisfactorily, and gear- 

 ing would be constantly in the way. 



The above diagram is intended to represent, 

 in part, the rack for holding the frames ; and if 

 you think best to insert it, it will be likely to 

 enable some one better to understand the ar- 

 rangement. 



J. L. Hubbard. 



Walpole, N. H., Nov. 6, 1868. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Prevention of Dysentery. 



Here is a question that I have been asked re- 

 peatedly — " How do you manage your bees 

 when they get the dysentery?" — or, "What do 

 you do for your bees when they have the dysen- 

 tery V ' 



Well, my friends, my bees do not have the'dys- 

 entery ; and, in fact, I have come to the conclu- 

 sion that there is no such disease. Here, me- 

 thinks, I hear friend Pucket say — " That is some 

 more of Gallup's buncom !" And I hear others 

 say — " My bees certainly had the dysentery." 

 Well, mine, too, used to have it, or what is 

 called so, some twenty-five or thirty years ago, 

 but they know better now. But let me ex- 

 plain : It is a condition of the swarm, or of the 

 hive, aud not a disease. 



I have found a swarm in the spring, in a hol- 

 low tree, with the entrance at the top of the 

 cavity or hollow ; and when they first flew out 

 in the spring, they did not so much as speck the 

 snow. On the other hand, a swarm at the bot- 

 tom of the hollow, will discharge large quanti- 

 ties of fseces on their first flight. This is in 

 their natural state. 



When bees are kept in cellars or a special re- 

 pository, a large or strong swarm, if not pro- 

 perly ventilated, will be too warm and consume 

 large quantities of honey, more than can be 

 evaporated by insensible perspiration. These 

 will have the dyentery, and will, in all proba- 

 bility consume all their stores and starve before 

 spring. The remedy in this case is to take off 

 all of the honey-board, and if they are not then 

 quiet, raise the hive at the bottom by degrees 

 until they become quiet. What I mean by a 

 very strong swarm, is such a swarm as Novice 

 would have from a two-story hive on reducing 

 it to one-story in the fall. It is best in such a 

 case to take out one or two combs from the 

 sides of the hive and move the remainder fur- 

 ther apart, so as to give more room for the bees 

 between the combs. On the other hand, when 

 we have a small swarm that occupies just two 

 or three ranges of combs iu my hive, (a nu- 

 cleus, if you please, in which we are wintering 

 a spare queen,) we will say we have them in the 

 right hand side of the hive, we move the hive 

 to the right or the bottom board, so as to close 

 the lower entrance. The division board must 

 be adjusted to suit the number of combs ; and 

 the piece of honey-board over the bees can 

 either be moved a trifle or raised ; and your 

 nucleus or small swarm will winter exactly as 

 well as the large one. The small swarm will 

 not consume any more honey in proportion to 

 the number of bees, than a large one. But 

 should you attempt to winter such a small 

 swarm in a large hive, they would consume 

 more honey in proportion to the number of 

 bees, and in all probability have the dysentery. 



The bees of a small swarm with too much 

 ventilation, will, on your going into the cellar 

 with a light, come out and discharge on the 

 outside of the hive. Give less ventilation, and 

 the remedy is applied at once. A late swarm 

 that has thin watery honey will have the dys- 

 entery. To prevent this, give it in the fall some 

 combs from an old swarm containing good 

 honey; and give them the thin honey in the 

 spring, when the bees can fly out. But enough 

 on this point at present. 



I wish to be understood on this subject of 

 wintering, ventilation, &c, because it is of 

 great importance to know that bees can be win- 

 tered without consuming much honey. _ Walk 

 down into my cellar and see the bees, it will 

 take but a few minutes. Step up and look at 

 them by the light of the lamp. Do you see the 

 striped fellows in this hive? "Yes, but Gallup, 

 they are dead as a door nail." Not a bit of it. 

 " Well, they don't stir." Let us breathe on 

 them a trifle. " They are alive; that is a fact. 

 Do they keep as quiet as that all winter?" Cer- 

 tainly. And that is not all ; they scarcely con- 

 sume any honey all winter. " Well, Gallup, I 

 do not want to tell you that you lie, but I do 

 not believe a word of it." "Well, sir, your 

 disbelief does not alter the fact one particle. 

 " Why, Gallup, here is your pork, potatoes, aud 

 other vegetables ; your women must come down 

 here two or three times a day with a light. 

 Don't the bees come out ?" Do they come out 

 now ? "They do not appear to, that's a fact. 

 Why, Gallup, I always supposed that bees, 



