WINTERIKG. 829 



triangular bar (319) was the guide principally used, and 

 the comba of some of these swarms were joined together in 

 a way that rendered the frames imm ivable. In the Fall, 

 we extracted (761) from the brood-chamber of nearly 

 every colony, as was then our practice, leaving only seven 

 Quiubj- frames on an average — for Winter. The colonies, 

 that had crooked combs, were left with all their stores — -ten 

 frames, — because we could not disturb them without break- 

 ing combs, and causing leakage and robbing, and it was not 

 the proper season lo transfer (574) them. These colonies 

 did not have to be fed, the following Spring, became very 

 strong, and yielded the largest crop. This untried-for 

 result caused us to make further experiments, which proved 

 that there is a profit in leaving, to strong colonies, a large 

 quantity of honey, so that they will not limit their Spring 

 breeding. 



626. The quality of the bee-food is an important matter 

 in wintering bees. Protracted cold weather compels them 

 to eat large quantities of honey, filling their intestine-; 

 with fecal matter which they cannot void, for bees never 

 discharge their faeces in the hive (73), unless they are 

 confined too long, or greatly disturbed. 



Unhealthy food in prolonged confinement, sooner or later 

 causes diarrhea (784), not only in wintering out of doors, 

 but in cellar wintering (646), and in shipping bees long 

 distances (687). 



Diarrhea, or as some call it, dysentery, in bees, is not 

 properly a disease, since it is only caused by the retaining 

 in the abdomen, of a large amount of excrements, which in 

 ordinary circumstances would be voided regularly.* These 

 excrements or faeces, from a reddish yellow to a muddy 

 black in color, according to the quality of the food eaten, 



• Whenever bees have been confined for two weeks or more, they discharge 

 in flight excrements wbich soil everything about the Apiary. The house- 

 keeper avoids hanging clothes out to dry on such days. 



