272 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



the wood and every thing in the hive that will absorb 

 it, until completely saturated (when condensed form- 

 ing the envelope of frost and ice already described), 

 and the atmosphere becomes humid and incapable 

 of taking up any more, and it gradually settles 

 around the bees. Being thus unable to throw off 

 this moisture, their bodies become distended with 

 faeces, causing many to leave the cluster and crawl 

 toward the entrance to void their filth, when they 

 become chilled and are unable to return again, and 

 thus miserably perish. Thousands are lost in this 

 way, and those that survive until the weather mod- 

 erates, and enables them to fly out, are found to be 

 in a very unhealthy condition ; unable to fly any 

 distance, dropping on the ground or on any object 

 around, seemingly unable to void their feces. Vast 

 quantities perish thus, being unable to return to the 

 hive. I have seen many colonies thus depopulated. 

 The healthy bees that would remain being too few in 

 number to maintain sufficient heat to mature brood, 

 although the queen was apparently all right, the 

 number would gradually decrease, and finally, queen 

 and all, die. Bees from other hives would discover 

 its defenseless condition, and carry off the honey, 

 some warm day, if not removed or closed up. I have 

 frequently seen hives lost in this manner. I exam- 

 ined several during the last year, and found the 

 queen and a dozen or two workers only remaining, 

 with honey and pollen in abundance. Many hives 

 of bees are lost annually all over the country, the 

 true cause of which is not even suspected by the 



