124 THE BLESSED BEES. 



luck," but because of his folly in not taking good 

 care of them. Bees will live through the winter, 

 and come out healthy in the spring, if we give them 

 the conditions natural to the bee, if we obey the 

 laws of bee life. 



From all I could learn on the subject by reading 

 and reflection, it seemed that successful wintering 

 depended on certain conditions, which were entirely 

 under my control. 



1. The hives, when winter comes on, should be 

 well stocked with young bees. If brood rearing 

 ceases early in the fall, so that only old bees are in 

 the hive when winter begins, they will naturally die 

 before spring, even if they have good stores, good 

 ventilation and a proper temperature. 



2. The hive should have from twenty-five to thirty 

 pounds of healthy sealed honey. If the stores con- 

 sist largely of juice from grapes and apples, or of 

 the excretions of plant-lice, the bees will surely con- 

 tract disease, and will die a miserable death. Be 

 sure that they have good sealed honey, or if this is 

 impossible, feed them good sugar syrup in time, so 

 that they can seal it in the combs before cold 

 weather. 



3. Often the moisture from the breath of the bees 

 condenses on the sides of the hives, and on the 

 combs, and freezes, so that in cold weather the bees 

 will be almost encased in ice, and in warm weather 



