830 
WINTERING BEES. 
the weather is very severe, a portion melting in the 
day, and freezing again at night. 
THE EFFECT OF ICE OR FROST ON BEES AND COMB. 
When the bees are not smothered, this water in the 
hive is the source of other mischief. The combs are 
quite certain to mould. The water mould or dampness 
on the honey renders it thin, and unhealthy for the bees, 
causing dysentery, or the accumulation of faeces that 
they are unable to retain. When the hive contains a 
very large family, or a very small one, there will be 
less frost on the combs, — the animal heat of the first 
will drive it off ; in the latter there will be but little 
exhaled. 
FROST MAY CAUSE STARVATION. 
This frost is frequently the cause of medium or 
small families starving in cold weather, even when 
there is plenty of honey in the hive. Suppose all the 
honey in the immediate vicinity of the cluster of bees 
is exhausted, and the combs in every direction from 
them are covered with frost; if a bee should leave 
the mass and venture among them for a supply, 
its fate would be as certain as starvation. 'And with- 
out timely intervention of warmer weather, they must 
perish 1 
OTHER DIFFICULTIES. 
Should they escape starving, there is another diffi- 
culty often attending them in continued cold weather. 
I said that small families exhaled but little. Let us 
see if we can explain the effect. 
