that shows itself in excessive heat production and in great restlessness, many of the 

 sick bees leaving the hive as soon as the temperature rises a little, but while it is 

 still too low for a favourable flight, so that, they die outside in large numbers. 

 Usually the abdomen is distended and' the mouth of the hive is soiled with the brown 

 fa3ces. In a bad case of dysentery, the colony usually dies before spring, or it survives 

 with so few Lcl'S, and these so much enfeebled, that it fails to become profitable. 



Since bees wear and age in winter just as surely, though not so rapidly, as in 

 summer, and a maximum population is needed to survive far into the spring in order 

 to raise a large quantity of brood then, it is important that the bees going into 

 winter should be young. 



These facts explain why successful wintering depends principally upon the above- 

 mentioned three conditions, which we may repeat: populous colonies, consisting 

 mainly of young bees, plenty of wholesome stores in the combs, and adequate protec- 

 tion from the cold. 



STEONG COLONIES OF YOUNG BEES 



By young bees we mean those that have done little or no field work, but they 

 should have had at least one flight before winter. Where there is no late honey flow, 

 these bees will be raised principally in August and early September. The best way 

 to get bees raised in large numbers in August and September is to have in the hive 

 a queen raised the same year, this queen to begin laying not later than the middle 

 or end of July. This means that she should be raised in June or early July, during 

 the honey flow from clover. No better conditions for rearing queens exist than 

 those found in Canada during the clover honey flow. Not only will the colony con- 

 taining this young queen raise more and better bees for winter than one containing 

 an old queen, but the young queen will be more prolific and profitable the following 

 season. It may not, however, be convenient to requeen every colony every year, and 

 a vigorous year-old queen will make a good colony for wintering if the colony is 

 strong in July. Colonies that are not strong in the fall should be put together so 

 that each hive contains enough bees to crowd over at least eight combs of Langstroth 

 size before the weather is cold enough for clustering closely. 



WHOLESOME STOEES IN PLENTY 



It is fortunate that, as a rule, the honeys of the north are more wholesome for 

 wintering than those of the south. 



Olover honey is an excellent winter food for bees. In places around Lake St. 

 John, Que., where the honey stored comes entirely from alsike and white clover, the 

 bees winter well in spite of neai-ly seven months of confinement in the cellar. Buck- 

 wheat honey has also been found satisfactory for wintering in the region where this 

 plant gives nectar. 



On the other hand, dandelion honey has proved imwholesome. Some of the 

 honeys gathered in late summer are also unwholesome, especially those found in 

 certain marsh districts in the Maritime Provinces. The honey of the hard maple has 

 been complained of by beekeepers in southern Ontario. Dandelion honey and the 

 honey reported to come from hard maple granulate so hard in the combs that the 

 wintering bees may find it difiicult or impossible to remove and use the honey. At 

 Ottawa, hard granulated honey, which it is suspected comes partly from sweet clover, 

 occasionally causes considerable loss of bees in winter for the same reason. 



