45 



(4) Impure cane sugar, beet sugar, or brown sugar used for 

 artificial feeding; the latter is frequently fatal as 

 it contains a large percentage of molasses and other 

 foreign matter; 



(6) Glucose used for artificial feeding ; and 



(6) Damp and badly ventilated hives. 



Bees when in a natural and healthy condition void their 

 feeoes when in flight, thus keeping their hive clean. During 

 the winter and early spring months there are often protracted 

 periods of bad weather during which the bees are confined to 

 the hive, and so are unable to take the cleansing flights which 

 they would naturally do on every suitable warm day. If 

 during these periods of inactivity the bees consume food con- 

 taining an excessive araount of waste matter, the intestines 

 become abnormally distended with the products of digestion 

 and being unable eventually to retain these, dysentery is the 

 result. 



The bee-keeper who delays till the late autumn what artificial 

 feeding may be necessary, and who then supplies syrup con- 

 taining too much water, is courting disaster; for at this time 

 of the year the temperature is generally too low for the bees 

 to evaporate the excess of moisture necess-ary for ripening 

 purposes, and if this does not take place Lhey do not hermetic- 

 ally seal the stores with wax oappings. If feeding is necessary, 

 it should be completed in good time, and the white cane sugar 

 «yrup given should be as dense as possible so that the bees 

 may store__and seal it over with the le.ist possible delay. It 

 is much better, when possible, to winter the bees on their 

 natural food, which is good sound stores of honey, properly 

 sealed. Artificial food should be given to supplement and not 

 as a substitute for their natural food. 



Disturbing bees during the winter months is also likely to 

 cause dysentery, as it excites them and causes them to con- 

 sume, a larger amount of food than they would do under normal 

 ■conditions. 



Treatment. — If a colony becomes affected with dysentery, 

 remove all the combs not covered by bees, close up the remain- 

 ing combs with the division board, see that the interior of the 

 hive and its fittings are dry, give ample ventilation by open- 

 ing the entrance, and put a cake of warm candy over the 

 cluster of bees. If the outbreak occurs when the weather is 

 warm enough to manipulate the combs, a clean hive should 

 be warmed inside by exposing it to the heat of a fir© and the 

 combs and affected bees transferred to it. In both cases 

 should the bee-keeper have by him combs containing sealed 

 Iioney, these should be warmed and given to the bees in place 

 of the stained combs O'f food removed and in preference to 

 'candy. 



