WINTERING BEES. 329 



nights will prevent the evaporation of this moisture ; 

 and this process of freezing and thawing, at the end of 

 a week or two, will form icicles sometimes as large as 

 a man's finger, attached to the combs and the sides of 

 the hive. "When the bottom of the hive is close to the 

 floor, it forms a sealing around the edges, perfectly 

 air-tight, and your bees are smothered. I have fre- 

 quently heard bee-keepers say in these cases, " The 

 storm blew in, and formed ice all round the bottom, 

 and froze my bees to death." Others that have had 

 their bees in a cold room, finding them thus, " could 

 not see how the water and ice could get there any way ; 

 were quite sure it was not there when carried in," &c. 

 Probably they never dreamed of its being accounted 

 for philosophically, and to analyze anything pertain- 

 ing to bees would be rather small business. But what 

 way can it be accounted for ? 



FROST AND ICE IN A HIVE ACCOUNTED FOR. 



Physiologists tell us " that innumerable pores in the 

 cuticle of the human body are continually throwing 

 off waste or worn out matter ; that every exhalation of 

 air carries with it a portion of water from the system, 

 in warm weather unperceived, but will be condensed 

 into particles large enough to be seen in a cold atmo- 

 sphere." Now, if analogy be allowed here, we will 

 say the bee throws of waste matter and water in the 

 same- way. Its food being liquid, nearly all will be 

 exhaled— in moderate weEtther it will pass off, but in 

 the cold it is condetised— the particles lodge on the 

 iombs in form of frost, and accumulate as long as 



