232 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



these conditions the bees are some- 

 times cut off from their stores by sud- 

 den changes in the weather, or the 

 ckisters become broken and the bees 

 scattered about in the hives and are 

 liable to lose their lives by being 

 chilled when sudden changes in tem- 

 perature take place. 



DIARRHCEA IN BEES. 



The trouble known as diarrhoea or 

 dysentery, to which bees are subject 

 under certain conditions, is one of 

 the most difficult conditions to deal 

 with in many localities. It is caused 

 by those conditions which are unfav- 

 orable to healthful exhalation from 

 the bodies of the bees while confined 

 in the cluster ; and since tlie trouble 

 is climatic, and no more a "disease" 

 than a "bad cold" is, it is exceed- 

 ingly difficult to deal with. Control- 

 ling the temperature surrounding the 

 bees is the only known remedy. Some 

 years ago when I announced my con- 

 victions in an article published in the 

 Kansas Beekeeper, that bee diarrhcea 

 was a climatic trouble, and that the 

 true cause was continued low tem- 

 perature, the suggestion was met witli 

 scoffs and jeers on the one hand, 

 and with incredulity on the other. 

 It was asserted that pollen was the 

 prime cause and all other causes 

 were secondary; and when Prof. 

 Cook decided that the "pollen the- 

 ory" was "scientific," it looked as 

 if all opposition must give way to the 

 "pollen theory." Some of us knew 

 better, however. For one, I do not 

 suffer myself to be driven from the 

 anchorage of common sense by fine- 

 ly-spun arguments and assertions of 

 unsupported facts. Napoleon's wave 

 of the hand to the starlit skies and his 

 prompt "very well, gentlemen, but 

 who made these?" is a very good 

 lesson. I have seen diarrhoea only 

 when the winters were excessively 

 severe, and no signs of it when the 

 winters were moderate. These are 

 facts that outweigh all the arguments 

 and assertions that ever passed the 



lips of man. But then, new light has 

 been shed on the subject since then, 

 and it is now admitted that bees are 

 comparatively safe from diarrhoea 

 if the temperature is kept up to 45° 

 (or more) degrees. No one denies 

 this now, and to this extent the win- 

 tering problem is settled. 



My advice to the practical bee- 

 keeper is to turn over to the moles 

 and bats all "theories" and "scien- 

 ces," and proceed to prepare the 

 bees for winter in such a common 

 sense way, as will meet the require- 

 ments of his locality and climate. 



Christiansbitrg, Ky. 



LET us REASON TOGETHER. 



How widely people differ in their 

 opinions in the discussion of this very 

 important question. Like the vari- 

 ous religious creeds all aim to the one 

 important point, viz., truth. Yes, 

 truth when once discovered and 

 adopted by the beekeepers, the great 

 problem of wintering bees which is 

 now agitating the minds of our lead- 

 ing apiarists, will be as clear as the 

 noon-day sun ; and when looking 

 back to the days of our ignorance 

 we shall wonder that we allowed ig- 

 norance and darkness to prevail so 

 long. But it seems to be the des- 

 tiny of man that he shall pass through 

 a course of ignorance and darkness 

 in order that he may be prepared to 

 receive and enjoy the glories of truth. 

 It is amusing sometimes to notice 

 the different opinions and theories 

 advanced by certain apicultural writ- 

 ers upon the winter problem ; yes, 

 and while their theories and methods 

 seem absurd to me, they, on the 

 other hand, are doubtless disgusted 

 with what seems to them my foolish 

 and impracticable notions : but, Mr. 



