87 
time of dearth; when the spring seasons are rainy, and the 
vegetation late. ae 
_ Every writer on bees, has given his opinion of the best 
_ remedy and cure of this disease. Bees ought to be well 
_ nourished. The flour of oats, beans, Turkey wheat, and 
maize, well sifted, have always appeared to me to be suffi- 
cient to preserve them in good health. Whenever I ob- 
serve any drop of dysenteric dejection on the bench of the 
hive, I supply them with flour mixed with fine common 
_ salt. To prevent the disease, I begin about the end of 
January, and put a plate of flour and salt on the bench, in 
ne interior of each hive. This has always proved success- 
ul. 
It is said that bees are sometimes troubled with lice. It 
is possible that some individuals of this kind of vermin, 
may be met with in old hives, but I never noticed them. 
HBP ee 
4 CHAPTER XXIV. 
ON THE PARTICULAR CARES TO BE TAKEN OF BEES, AT DIF- 
FERENT SEASONS OF THE YEAR. 
OCTOBER. 
The bee year commences in autumn. This is the 
time to purchase hives, and the time also when the honey 
harvest or vintage begins. ‘The upper stories of the pyra- 
- midal hives are to be removed, and the opening on the top 
‘of the next box, now become the upper, is to be closed. 
To close this opening, a small piece of plank may be 
placed on it, and cemented by mortar, and covered with a 
stone to keep it fixed in its place. The whole should be 
covered with a straw hood, or inverted earthen vase, to 
preserve from humidity the two boxes which remain on the 
stand, during autumn and winter; and the bench should be 
cleaned, and rubbed with thyme, or some other aromatic 
plants. No pyramidal hive should remain in the apiary, 
after the end of October, except it be intended to reserve 
some honey in the boxes, to preserve early spring fruit. 
_. The openings for the entrance of the bees, should be dimi- 
nished, several openings however may be left, each large 
enough for the passage of only one bee ata time, to prevent 
the entrance of moles and other obnoxious animals. This is 
