292 



WINTERING BEES. 



the natural discharge of foeces that always takes place in 

 spring, when the bees first leave the hive, for a disease. 

 Others, looking for a cause for diseased brood, and find- 

 ing the hive and combs somewhat besmeared, have as- 

 signed this as sufficient ; but according to my view, have 

 reversed it, giving the efiect for the cause. 



There is some reason to suppose that moisture on 

 the combs gradually mixes with the honey, making it 

 thin, and that the bees will be affected as described, by 

 eating so much water with their food. But some experi- 

 ments have induced me to assign cold as an additional 

 cause, as I have always found, when I put the hives where 

 it was sufficiently warm, that an immediate cure was the 

 result, or, at least, it enabled the bees to retain the excre- 

 ment till set out in the spring. 



Much has been said recently, about furnishing bees with 

 water during the winter, but the reasons for feeding it, 

 and the results are so conflicting, that we have but little 

 reliable evidence on the subject. My experience does 

 not show that it is very efficacious when given as a pre- 

 ventive of dysentery, or necessary in rearing brood while 

 housed. 



After taking so much trouble to get rid of moisture, 

 I am not disposed to recommend giving any more of it. 

 I may be prejudiced and not qualified to judge, in conse- 

 quence. It is also strongly urged that it is required when 

 bees are rearing brood, and that they wiU speedily perish 

 when deprived of it, from being shut up in the house — 

 especially if they have candied honey.* I cannot even 



* Mr. Harbison says : " I have had bees confined for a period of forly-eiglit 

 ilay?. about one-third of wliich lime they were in a warm latitude, in transit to 

 California ; not a single drop of water did they get during all that time, and yet 

 they reared and matured brood on the way, and it was found in some strong 



