BEE-KEEPING IN WAR-TIME 21 



in the cells and sealed over. If feeding is delayed until 

 October, necessitating the use of the rapid feeder, then 

 much of the food is left unsealed in the cells and may cause 

 ^^^^^^^jdysentery. 



• During very cold weather, the bees will not pass under the 

 combs upon which they are clustering to others containing 

 food; for this reason it is quite possible after a long spell 

 of cold weather to find bees dead from starvation, with food 

 on the next combs. To avoid this, as they will pass over the 

 top of the combs, winter passages are given, by laying a couple 

 of pieces of wood, about half an inch square and nine inches 

 long, over the top of and at right angles to the frames so 

 that they hold up the calico quilt sufficiently to allow the 

 bees to pass over. 



A disinfectant in the form of specially prepared naphthaline 

 balls, split in two to prevent the bees roUing them out, is 

 placed in the brood chamber on the floor as far away from 

 the entrance as possible ; this prevents disease and also keeps 

 away wax moth, earwigs and ants. 



To prevent all possible chance of the bees running short of 

 food, a cake of bee candy, in a glass-topped box so that the 

 supply can be watched in the winter without disturbing the 

 bees, is placed over the feed hole. Cover down with at least 

 three good thick quilts, or an abundance of folded news- 

 papers. 



The hive must be absolutely water-tight ; to this end it is 

 well to give each roof a coat of paint in the autumn, to 

 prevent the driving rains and melting snow from penetrating. 

 To secure the roof from being blow off during the winter and 

 early spring gales, drive a stake down at one side and close 

 up to the hive, tie a cord to it, and pass it over the roof ; to 

 the other end tie a brick so that it just swings clear from the 

 ground. 



The entrance to the hive is kept open full width in the 

 summer ; in the early spring and autumn, and also when 

 feeding, it is closed to about an inch ; for winter it is opened 

 to six inches. : 



No attention is required in the winter beyond seeing from 

 time to time that the candy supply is not exhausted, clearing 

 the entrance from dead bees by means of a piece of stick, 

 clearing away snow from the alighting broad and shading 

 the entrance so that reflected light from the snow does not 

 enter the hive and attract the bees out to die. 



