DRESSING HIVES MILD AND SEVERE WINTERS. 315 



and as the first labour of these wonderful insects is 

 to sweep and garnish their dwellings, and remove 

 all obstacles to their industry, as much as possible 

 of this labour must be done for them, by rubbing the 

 interior of the hive with a hard brush, in order to 

 remove all loose and projecting straws. 



The spring and summer duty of the apiarian is to 

 watch the motions of his bees, to protect them from 

 enemies, to secure the swarms, and move them tem- 

 porarily, on a deficiency of food at home, to a more 

 plentiful pasture, which is customarily done with safety 

 and success. In the winter months, the chief care is 

 to feed the stocks when needful, and to protect them 

 from every annoyance, particularly that of damps and 

 moisture, and the melting of snow. 



Mr. Roberts, of Battle, Sussex, had a hive of 

 bees which swarmed in the last week of February, 

 1822, one of the mildest winters on record, all over 

 Europe ; but mild winters, from the moist state of 

 the atmosphere, are inimical to bees ; a cold and 

 severe winter is favourable, particularly to weak 

 hives, on account of the torpid state into which the 

 bees are thrown, and consequently the small quan- 

 tity of honey which they consume in that state 

 must, on the principle of economy, be highly advan- 

 tageous to them. No cold of this climate was ever 

 known to destroy a hive, although ignorance may 

 have given it as the cause ; and indeed the practice 

 in some counties of wrapping up the hives in blan- 

 kets and other warm coverings to protect them from 

 the cold, is founded on antiquated prejudice and 

 error. 



p 2 



