WINTERING BEES. 
329 
nights will prevent the evaporation of this moisture ; 
and this process of freezing and thawing, at the end of 
a week or two, will form icicles sometimes as large as 
a man’s finger, attached to the combs and the sides of 
the hive. When the bottom of the hive is close to the 
floor, it forms a sealing around the edges, perfectly 
air-tight, and your bees are smothered. I have fre 
quently heard bee-keepers say in these cases, “ The 
storm blew in, and formed ice all round the bottom, 
and froze my bees to death.” Others that have had 
their bees in a cold room, finding them thus, “ could 
not see how the water and ice could get there any way ; 
were quite sure it was not there when carried in,” &c. 
Probably they never dreamed of its being accounted 
for philosophically, and to analyze anything pertain- 
ing to bees would be rather small business. But what 
way can it be accounted for ? 
FROST AND ICE IN A HIVE ACCOUNTED FOR. 
Physiologists tell us “ that innumerable pores in the 
cuticle of the human body are continually throwing 
off waste or worn out matter ; that every exhalation of 
air earries.with it a portion of water from the system, 
in warm weather unperceived, but will be condensed 
into particles large enough to be seen in a cold atmo- 
sphere.” Now, if analogy be allowed here, we will 
say the bee throws of waste matter and water in the 
same way. Its food beirl£ liquid, nearly all will be 
exhaled — in moderate weather it will pass off, but in 
the cold it is condensed — the particles lodge on the 
iombs in form of frost, and accumulate as long as 
