THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 413 



rearing, which is perhaps one of the most unfortunate circumstances which a 

 colony can experience in winter. By all means a colony should be so protected 

 that brood-rearing will not be begun until frequent flights are possible. 



Since weak colonies so frequently succumb in winter, it is obvious that a 

 too rapid increase in the number of colonies in summer is unwise. Beekeepers 

 have learned that swarming is to be avoided because of the resulting reduction 

 in the honey crop, and the loss in winter is additional argument against allow- 

 ing the bees to exercise this instinct freely. It is a common saying among 

 beekeepers that a rapid increase is usually followed by a rapid decrease. It is 

 impossible to get too strong a colony for winter, the error always being in the 

 opposite direction. 



Effects of accumulation of feces — It was first shown by the authors that 

 heat-generation causes increased consumption of stores; this in turn causes an 

 accumulation of feces within the bees, which is more rapid if the stores contain 

 a high percentage of indigestible materials, and the presence of feces causes 

 increased activity, often resulting in death from excessive heat-generation. 

 Beekeepers call this condition dysentery if the accumulation is so excessive that 

 the bees are unable to retain the feces. Dysentery causes the death of bees 

 in winter, so far as has been seen, solely by undue activity and excessive heat- 

 production. This detrimental effect is reduced by good stores, but obviously 

 the proper method is to prevent an unnecessary accumulation of feces by 

 preventing a heavy consumption of stores, chiefly by providing a sufficiently 

 high surrounding temperature. Honey-dew honey is especially injurious be- 

 cause of the rapidity with which feces accumulate. 



In mild climates, in which there are frequent days when bees can fly and 

 rid themselves of feces, the injurious effects of poor stores are less noticeable, 

 because the feces do not accumulate sufliciently to cause abnormal activity. The 

 accumulation of feces is to be considered as an irritant, causing responses 

 similar to disturbance by jarring or exposure to light. 



Influence of the queen — In discussions of wintering it is usually stated 

 that to winter well a colony must have a good queen. Obviously a good queen 

 will better prepare a colony for winter by providing a strong colony of young 

 bees than will a poor one, while a colony that is queenless in late summer and 

 fall has little chance of living until spring. A good queen will also increase 

 brood-rearing rapidly in the spring, if a colony has good stores and has been 

 properly protected during the winter. Aside from the important influence on 

 the population of the colony, the queen probably plays no part in wintering. 



Spring-dwindling — If the individual bees of a colony are reduced in vital- 

 ity by excessive heat-production, they may live until spring, but are unable 

 to do the heavy work then needed to bring the colony back to full strength. 

 The adult bees die more rapidly than they are replaced by emerging bees, and 

 the population decreases. This condition, which can be produced experimentally, 

 has long been known among beekeepers as "spring-dwindling." If this condi- 

 tion is observed, the bees may perhaps be slightly relieved of further unneces- 

 sary work by packing to conserve heat and by giving abundant stores, but the 

 proper treatment is to prevent the condition by proper care in the preceding 

 fall and winter. The term "spring-dwindling" should not be applied to death 

 of bees from other causes. 



Lack of Stores 



A common cause of the death of colonies in v;inter is starvation, which is 

 more certainly due to carlessness on the part of the beekeeper than is unnec- 



