DYSENTERY 
291 
to bees during cold weather, altho such 
feed may be given with impunity in the 
middle of the summer. 
iAll candy or honey containing much 
gums or dextrins should also be avoided; 
for, except in a few rare instances in which 
another substance is involved, these gums 
or dextrins are the substances that cause 
dysentery. The dextrin content of the dif¬ 
ferent honeys varies considerably, being 
greatly reduced during a rapid honey flow. 
On account of the dextrin content, New 
Orleans molasses and common glucose 
should not be given to bees. As a matter 
of fact, they will not take either. 
While it is very certain that no such 
symptoms of dysentery are found in warm 
weather, it is also certain that a strong 
colony in a hive with soft, warm, dry 
porous walls, will stand an amount of bad 
food that a weak one, or one exposed to 
drafts of cold air, will not. A power¬ 
ful colony, if left with their hive uncovered 
during a rain storm, will soon dry them¬ 
selves; and while they are doing this they 
remind one of a sturdy cart horse as he 
shakes the water off his hide and dries 
himself by his internal animal heat. While 
they have the health and numbers to repel 
moisture in this way, they are safe against 
almost anything. But to help them to keep 
this internal strength, they should have 
close and comfortable quarters, very much 
such as we would need for ourselves to 
enable us to pass a severe winter’s night in 
health and comfort. (See Wintering Out¬ 
doors.) The hives often used are so large 
and bam-like, in respect to the winters 
brood-nest, that comfort is almost out of 
the question, for it does little if any good 
to pile straw, corn-fodder, etc., over the 
outside of the hives while the cluster within 
has no sort of protection at all. If they 
were in a hollow tree, the diameter of 
which was so small that they could fill it 
completely, they would be in a much better 
place, especially if the sides were lined 
with soft dry rotten wood. 
THE AGENCY OF THE APHIDES IN PRODUCING 
DYSENTERY. 
The poorest winter food is, without 
doubt, the honey gathered from the aphides 
(see Honeydew); or, at least, most com¬ 
plaints have been made of this honey. As 
bees seldom touch this, except during 
drouths or unfavorable seasons, it, no 
doubt, has been the cause of some of the 
mischief. If all the early honey is extract¬ 
ed from the brood-combs, and the bees left 
with nothing but this bad honey, gathered 
in the summer, the matter is much worse; 
and many cases have been reported of colo¬ 
nies dying where the extractor has been 
used, while those untouched had been free 
from the disease. The obvious remedy is 
to refrain from extracting too closely from 
the brood-apartment. Let the bees fill their 
brood-chamber with a good quality of hon¬ 
ey, just before the yield ceases, extracting, 
toward the close of the harvest, only from 
the combs in the upper story, unless it is 
decided to feed them up for winter on 
sugar syrup or candy. There have been 
one or two favorable reports of wintering 
on the aphidian honey, from which it may 
be concluded that it is not always deleteri¬ 
ous. 
PREVENTION of dysentery. 
There are two important factors in 
the prevention of dysentery—protection 
against extremes of cold during winter, 
and good food. Under the head of Win¬ 
tering Outdoors, Wintering in Cellars, 
Spring Dwindling, and Spring Manage¬ 
ment, full particulars are given on how. to 
house bees properly. 
Good food may be in the form of good 
honey or sugar-syrup stores well ripened. 
Any of the good table honeys make suitable 
food; and there are many of the fall hon¬ 
eys that do very well. Aster honey, unless 
well ripened and sealed in the combs, some¬ 
times brings on dysentery. Some winters 
it is worse than others (see Asters). Hon¬ 
eydew usually should not be used. It is 
generally dangerous (see Honeydew). 
cure for dysentery outdoors. 
If the affected colonies are outdoors, 
about the only real remedy is settled warm 
weather. Even one good warm day will 
often serve to alleviate the trouble, as it 
gives the bees a chance to void their excre¬ 
ment out in the open air, away from the 
hives and the combs. Otheiwise the con¬ 
tinued confinement during an extended cold 
spell sometimes compels the bees to retain 
their feces or excreta so long that they are 
