How to manage Bees in Winter. — 107 
confinement was the caufe; but i it is alfo cer- 
tain, that, even in thofe cold countries, where 
the winter lafts eight months, bees thrive and 
profper well, elfe they never could produce fo 
much honey*. I have known bees do well, how- 
ever, that had been confined in their hives for 
five months, even in this country ; while o- 
thers of them were ready to perith, by retain- 
ing their foeces for fo long a period. Some- 
times, about Martinmas, I have feen four hives, 
ftanding in ene place, all equally thriving and 
numerous ; but, in confequence of having been 
confined by bad weather for fix or eight weeks 
after that period, one of thefe hives would have 
had feveral hundreds of dead bees, lying fwoln 
on the ftool, while the other three were ftill in 
a thriving condition, and had fcarcely a dozen 
dead bees in each. Upon tearing one of the 
dead bees afunder, I found her inteftines quite 
full of foeces; which, I therefore conjectured, 
was 
/ ~ 
* The reafon may be acounted for in this manner : fuppofe, for 
inftance, that one fourth part of the bees in thofe places fhould 
fail by long confinement or fevere colds, (from which I fuppofe 
- the natives will guard their bees as much as poffible,) yet the 
remaining three parts will increafe greatly in bees and honey du- 
ring their fummer, as the weather is very conflant and warm 
while the honey feafon lafts. 
