232 THE APIARY. 



DISEASES OF BEES. 



Dysentery is a disease produced either by long con- 

 finement, by dampness, or by feeding in the winter. The 

 first thing bees do when disturbed is to fill themselves 

 with food, so that in winter weather, when they cannot 

 get out to void their faeces, hives should not be meddled 

 with, otherwise the complaint may be brought on. It is- 

 also engendered in many instances by the state of the 

 weather in winter months, and is indicated by the yellow 

 colour of the excrement, and by its being voided upon 

 the floors and at the entrance of the hives, which bees 

 in a healthy state generally keep clean. All, that can 

 be done for them when affected is to well clean or • 

 to change the floor-board, and so produce cleanliness^ 

 Having made some remarks on this disease at page 21 4^ 

 in connection with bees sent to Australia, we will pEiss 

 on to the more formidable, but happily less common, 

 malady of "foul brood." 



This disease does not attack the bees themselves, but 

 affects the larvae, by causing them to putrefy in the cells, ; 

 thus destroying all hope of the rising generation. Bees, 

 afe exceedingly fond of their young, and are greatly 

 dispirited when their hives are in this plight. In common 

 wnth most pestilential disorders, no satisfactoiy cause is 

 assignedjor its first appearance. Some apiarians con- 

 tend, that "foul brood" is another name for chilled, 

 brood; others, that the queen, by a freak of nature. 



