DIAGNOSING COLONIES 
271 
much less radical. All these changes con¬ 
sume energy, which is shown by the fact 
that there is considerable loss of weight 
during the pupal period. This energy is 
stored up in the larva largely in the form 
of fat contained in the fat-body which 
surrounds the mid-intestine. 
DEXTRIN. —This may be regarded as 
an intermediate product between starch and 
the sugar dextrose. When starch is treat¬ 
ed with dilute acid, or acted on by heat or 
by certain ferments, it becomes soluble in 
cold water and loses its gelatinous charac¬ 
ter. It is then dextrin. Dextrin is found 
in all starchy foods which have been con¬ 
siderably heated, viz., toast and the brown 
crust of bread. It is produced commer¬ 
cially for use as an adhesive. Postage 
stamps and gummed labels are nearly al¬ 
ways coated' with dextrin. Dextrin is 
found to a large extent in commercial glu¬ 
cose or corn syrup and to a very small ex¬ 
tent in normal honey. Honeydew honeys 
contain larger amounts. See also Sugar. 
DEXTROSE. —This is the name of one 
of the five common food sugars. It is 
variously termed dextrose, starch sugar, 
corn sugar, grape sugar, or glucose. It 
occurs in honey, of which it constitutes a 
little less than one-half the solid part. It 
is also found in many fruits, Dotably 
grapes; hence the name, grape sugar. Com¬ 
mercially, it is to be found in invert sugar, 
of which it constitutes one-half, and in 
commercial glucose or corn syrup, where 
the proportion is somewhat smaller. It is 
interesting to note that practically all the 
starch we eat is converted into dextrose 
during digestion. See also Invert Sugar 
and Sugar. 
DIAGNOSING COLONIES .—The term 
“diagnosing,” when used in bee culture, 
applies to a method or methods of deter¬ 
mining the internal condition of a colony 
from surface indications, mainly at the en¬ 
trance, and without opening the hive. In 
the height of the honey flow, expert bee¬ 
keepers, when rushed with their work, can 
tell pretty accurately what colonies in the 
yard are or will be needing attention by a 
glance at the hive. The knowledge of how 
to do this enables the expert to administer 
treatment at once to colonies that would 
be likely to swarm and go to the woods 
during his absence, or which might other¬ 
wise begin to loaf for the simple reason 
that they would not have a single cell of 
storage space available. When bees are 
crowded for storage room they will even 
occupy cells that the queen would use for 
breeding; and the result is she is so cramp¬ 
ed for space in which to lay eggs that she 
is “honey-bound.” If the honey flow con¬ 
tinues there will not be young brood to 
come on to supply bees to care for the late 
flow. 
All this goes to show the necessity of 
giving the powerful colonies room when 
they need it. To go thru every hive, comb 
by comb, in the height of the season would 
be impossible; and so the expert beekeeper 
picks out by surface indications first those 
colonies that need attention at one or more 
of his yards, then, later on, takes care of 
those that are in no urgent need of care. 
But knowing how to pick out those that 
will swarm or waste valuable time in the 
height of the season, is a trick of the trade 
worth knowing. Even the -beginner who 
has only a few colonies will find that, after 
a little practice, he can pick out his best 
ones by looking at the outside. If Mr. Be¬ 
ginner is a professional man, busy during 
the hours of the day with other work, he 
can, at his odd moments, when at home, tell 
which colonies should have immediate at¬ 
tention. This saves his time, of which he 
may not have too much at his disposal. 
TO DETERMINE WHETHER A COLONY NEEDS 
ROOM. 
Now then for the “know how.” The 
most reliable indication of what a colony 
is doing or will do is the flight of the bees 
going in and out of the hive. If one col¬ 
ony, for example, has its bees pouring in 
at the entrance by the score, and coming 
out in the same way, and another one right 
by the side of it has only one-half or one- 
fourth as many going in and out, it is 
very evident that the first mentioned is 
very strong and will shortly need room, 
even if it does not already. The last-men¬ 
tioned colony may have a poor queen. It 
may have had poor food during the win¬ 
ter, or insufficient protection. As a nat¬ 
ural consequence it will probably have only 
about one-half or one-fourth as many fly- 
