Mysteries of Bee-keeping Explained Part 29

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 acc.u.mulation 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 cl.u.s.ter of bees is exhausted, and, the combs in every direction from them are covered with frost; if a bee should leave the ma.s.s and venture among them for a supply, its fate would be as certain as starvation. And without timely intervention of warmer weather, they _must_ peris.h.!.+

OTHER DIFFICULTIES.

Should they escape starving, there is another difficulty often attending them in continued cold weather. I said that small families exhaled but little. Let us see if we can explain the effect.

There is not sufficient animal heat generated to exhale the aqueous portion of their food. The philosophy that explains why a man in warm blood and in profuse perspiration would throw off or exhale more moisture than in a quiet state, will ill.u.s.trate this. The bees in these circ.u.mstances must retain the water with the excrement.i.tious part, which soon distends their bodies to the utmost, rendering them unable to endure it long. Their cleanly habits, that ordinarily save the combs from being soiled, is not a sure protection now, and they are compelled to leave the ma.s.s very often in the severest weather, to expel this unnatural acc.u.mulation of faeces. It is frequently discharged even before leaving the comb, but most of it at the entrance; also some scattered on the front side of the hive, and a short distance from it.

In a moderately warm day, more bees will issue from a hive in this condition than from others; it appears that a part of them are unable to discharge their burden--their weight prevents their flying--they get down and are lost. When cold weather is too long continued, they cannot wait for warm days to leave, but continue to come out at any time; and not one of such can then return. The cl.u.s.ter inside the hive is thus reduced in numbers till they are unable to generate heat sufficient to keep from freezing. With the indications attendant upon such losses, my own observation has made me somewhat familiar, as the following conversation will ill.u.s.trate.

FURTHER ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

A neighbor who wished to purchase some stock hives in the fall, requested my a.s.sistance in selecting them. We applied to a perfect stranger; his bees had pa.s.sed the previous winter in the open air. I found on looking among them that he had lost some of them from this cause, as the excrement was yet about the entrance of one old weather-beaten hive, that was now occupied by a young swarm, and was about half filled with combs.

I saw at once what had been the matter, and felt quite confident that I could give its owner a correct history of it. "Sir," said I, "you have been unfortunate with the bees that were in this hive last winter; I think I can give you some particulars respecting it."

"Ah, what makes you think so? I would like to hear you guess; to encourage you, I will admit that there has been something rather peculiar about it."

"One year ago you considered that a good stock-hive; it was well filled with honey, a good family of bees, and two or three years old or more.

You had as much confidence in its wintering as any other; but during the cold weather, somehow, the bees unaccountably disappeared, leaving but a very few, and they were found frozen to death. You discovered it towards spring, on a warm day. When you removed the combs, you probably noticed a great many spots of excrement deposited on them, as well as on the sides of the hive, particularly near the entrance. Also one-half or more of the breeding cells contained dead brood, in a putrid state; and this summer you have used the old hive for a new swarm."

"You are right, sir, in every particular. Now, I would like to know what gave you the idea of my losing the bees in that hive? I can see nothing peculiar about that old hive, more than this one," pointing to another that also contained a new swarm. "You will greatly oblige me if you will point out the signs particularly."

"I will do so with pleasure" (feeling quite willing to give him the impression that I was "posted up" on this subject, notwithstanding it savored strongly of boasting).

I then directed his attention to the entrance in the side of the hive, where the bees had discharged their faeces, on the moment they issued, until it was near the eighth of an inch thick, and two or three inches broad; that yet remained, and just began to cleave off. "You see this brown substance around this hole in the hive?"

"Yes, it is bee-glue (_propolis_); it is very common on old hives."

"I think not; if you will examine it closely, you will perceive it is not so hard and bright; it already begins to crumble; bee-glue is not affected by the weather for years."

"Just so, but what is it, and what has that to do with your guess-work?"

"It is the excrement of the bees. In consequence of a great many cells containing dead brood, which the bees could not enter, they were unable to pack themselves close enough to secure sufficient animal heat to exhale or drive off the water in their food, it was therefore retained in their bodies till they were distended beyond endurance--they were unable to wait for a warm day--necessity compelled them to issue daily during the coldest weather, discharging their faeces the moment of pa.s.sing the entrance, and part of them before. They were immediately chilled, and could not return; the quant.i.ty left about this entrance shows that a great many must have come out. That they came out in cold weather is proved by its being left on the hive, because in warm weather they _leave_ the hive for this purpose."

"This is a new idea; at present it seems to be correct; I will think it over. But how did you know that it was not a new swarm; that it was well filled?"

"When looking under it just now, I saw that combs of a dark color had been attached to the sides near the bottom, below where those are at present; this indicates that it had been full, and the dark color that it was not new. Also, a swarm early and large enough to fill such a hive the first season, would not be very likely to be affected by the cold in this way."

"Why not? I think this hive was crowded with bees as much as any of my new swarms."

"I have no doubt they appeared so; but we are very liable to be deceived in such cases, by the dead brood in the combs. A moderate-sized family in such a hive will make more show than some larger ones that have empty cells to creep into, and can pack closer."

"But how did you know about the dead brood?"

"Because old stocks are thus often reduced and lost."

"What were the indications of its being filled with honey?"

"Combs are seldom attached to the side of the hive farther down than they are filled with honey. In this hive the combs had been attached to the bottom, consequently must have been full. Another thing, unless the family is very much reduced, the hive is generally well stored, even when diseased."

"Why did you suppose it was near spring before I discovered it?"

"I took the chances of guessing. The majority of bee-keepers, you know, are rather careless, and when they have fixed their bees for winter, seldom give them much more attention, till they begin to fly out in the spring."

"But what should I have done had I discovered the bees coming out?"

"As it was affected with dead brood, it was but little use to do anything; you would have lost it eventually. But if it had been a stock otherwise healthy, and was affected in this way only because it was a small family, or the severity of the weather, you could have taken it to a warm room, and turned it bottom up; the animal heat would then convert the most of the water contained in their food into vapor; that would rise from the hive, and the bees could retain the excrement.i.tious portion without difficulty till spring."

"I suppose you must get along without losing many through the winter, if I may judge by your confident explanations."

"I can a.s.sure you I have but little fear on this head. If I can have the privilege of selecting proper stocks, I will engage not to lose one in a hundred."

"How do you manage? I would be glad to obtain a method in which I could feel as perfectly safe as you appear to."

"The first important requisite is to have all good ones to start with.

Enough weak families are united together till they are strong, or some other disposition made of them." I then gave him an outline of my method of wintering, which I can confidently recommend to the reader.

ACc.u.mULATION OF FaeCES DESCRIBED BY SOME WRITERS AS A DISEASE.

This acc.u.mulation of faeces is considered by many writers as a disease--a kind of dysentery. It is described as affecting them towards spring, and several remedies are given. Now if what I have been describing is not the dysentery, why I must think I never had a case of it; but I shall still persist in guessing it to be the same, and suppose that inattention with many must be the reason that it is not discovered in cold weather, at the time that it takes place. Some stocks may be badly affected, yet not lost entirely, when moderate weather will stop its progress. When a remedy is applied in the spring, long after the cause ceases to operate, it would be singular if it was not effectual. I have no doubt but some have taken the natural discharge of faeces, that always takes place in spring when the bees leave the hive, for a disease. Others, when looking for a cause for diseased brood, and found the combs and hive somewhat besmeared, have a.s.signed this as sufficient; but according to my view, have reversed it, giving the effect before the cause.

THE AUTHOR'S REMEDY.

For a time, I supposed that this moisture on the combs gradually mixed with the honey, making it thin, and that the bees eating so much water with their food, would affect them as described. Some experiments that followed, induced me to a.s.sign cold as the cause, as I always found, when I put them where it was sufficiently warm, that an immediate cure was the result, or at least, it enabled them to retain their faeces till set out in the spring.

BURYING BEES.

Burying bees in the earth below the frost, has been recommended as a superior method of wintering, for small families. I have known it confidently a.s.serted, that they would lose nothing in weight, and no bees would die. I found, in testing it, that a medium quant.i.ty of honey sufficed, and but very few were lost, perhaps less than by any other method. Yet the combs were mouldy, and unfit for further use. There was no escape for the vapor and dampness of the earth. This did not satisfy me; it only cured "one disease by inst.i.tuting another." I saved the bees, (and perhaps some honey), but the combs were spoiled.

EXPERIMENTS OF THE AUTHOR TO GET RID OF THE FROST.

I wished to keep them warm, and save the bees as well as honey, and at the same time, get rid of the moisture. I found that a large family expelled it much better than small ones; and if all were put together in a close room, the animal heat from a large number combined, would be an advantage to the weak ones, at least,--this proved of some benefit.

Yet I found on the sides of a gla.s.s hive, that large drops of water would stand for weeks.

SUCCESS IN THIS MATTER.