WINTERING BEES. 287 



When the hive contains a veiy large or a very small 

 family, there -will be less frost on the combs ; in the first 

 case the animal heat will drive it off, and in the latter 

 there will be but little moisture exhaled to freeze. 



CAUSES OF STARVATION. 



This frost frequently causes medium sized families to 

 starve in cold weather, even when there is plenty of 

 honey in the hive. If all the honey in the immediate vi- 

 cinity of the bees is exhausted, and the combs in every 

 direction are covered with frost, a bee leaving the cluster, 

 and going among the combs for a supply would meet a 

 fate as certain as starvation. And without timely inter- 

 vention of warmer weather, all would perish. 



Should "bees escape starvation, there is another ex- 

 igency often attending them in continued cold weather. 

 I have said that small families exhaled but little moisture. 

 Let us see if we can explain the effect in this case. 



DYSENTERY. 



In small stocks not enough heat is generated to exhale 

 the aqueous portions of the food. The philosophy that 

 explains why a man in warm blood, and profuse perspira- 

 tion, exhales more moisture than when in a quiet state, 

 will illustrate this. The bees under these circumstances 

 must retain the water as well as the excrementitious part, 

 which soon distends their bodies to an unendurable ex- 

 tent. Their cleanly habits, that ordinarily protect the 

 combs from being soiled, are not a sure protection now, 

 and they are compelled to leave the mass, very often in 

 the severest weather, to expel this unnatural, accumula- 

 tion of foeces. 



In a moderately warm day more bees will issue from a 

 hive in this condition than from others. It would seem 

 that part of them ai-e unable to disch.arge their burden, 

 their waight prevents their flying, and they get down 



