The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1828-12-11
From the North American Review.
BEES,

Young bee eau he readily distinguished from
an sid one. by the grsenish colored down that
covers il, and which it loses by the wear and
tear of hard labor and il the bee be not destroy
ed before The season is over, this down entirely
disappears. and the grouod work of the insect
is ,een. white or black. On a close examination,
very few of these black or aged bees, will be
seen at the opening Of tho spring, as moi hasing
the stamina ofthose that are younger, they pc
rish from inability TO encounter the vioissitudes
OF winter.
Our seasohs are very variable. The scorch.
ing droughis Of summer. deny 10 plants their
accustomed moisture no honey therefore can
he made by The bees Al such times, ard they are
compelled TO eat OF their Winter food. They
cluster about the hive, OF deprived other nc.
cusiomed labor they are very restless, and often
intrade into a neighborIng hive, apparently ior
want Of employment. In the sunmef al 1921.
during the latter part of July, the hea, WIS 50
distressing to The bees, the thermometer stana
| ding al 92s in the shade, that they seemed 10
, have lost their usual instinct A number Of
hives of the old fashioned patterns, that stood on
A bench were well filled " ith bees. At two ~
| clcck, for three davs in succession, the whole
swarm of each hive rushed out and ran 10 the
| adjoining hive, where they remained for "A few
seconds. without apparent offence 10 the invad-
| ed bees, who in their turn few madly Out and
paid the same unceremon,ous Wait to thtT
] neiehhors. No quarrel eosued. nor a bee was
, killed by these iriuptive movements. Iley
| seemed maddened by The heat ard yet the
| queen was lett in the hive, for with all our at
! iention to the saIlving parties, we did not see a
! single queen among them. The same frenzy
/ did not occur in those hives that were suspend,
, upo. joisis, thus proving thai the bees did mol
| suffer so much from heat from those suspended
hives, AS they did in the flat.bottomed ones, that
| rested on a bench.
Our winters are equally disastrous to the poo,
bees. OF late years there have been so maay
| mild DAYS during the cold seasons that a great
deal of honey has been consumed. These al
ternarions OF 'orpor and animation cause great
or exhaustion and loss of physical powers than
conld be occas,onsd by II Continuance OF uni
| form iorpor. This we inicr from the fact ina
in RUSSIA. where the winters are uniformly CO ,
| BEES do not perish and in the West Inuies
where there is perpetual ycrdY e, they are neveI
exhausted.
But although a hee mar remain torpid TO
certain extent for sS mouths in the year with
Out injury, in those CLIMATES TO which the lnsec
has long been accuS lpnled, ye, IT could not e1'S
for the same spy &C oil time in lower latitudes
where such a p,Iiod Of continued cold rafel,
occurs.-Nar ne has not constructed them Tor e
very emerg, ency. She has done no more for
them IN this particular iban she has Tor man
hey . re compelled 10 get accustomed 10 t
change Of climate By degrees , not by an al
teration of the structure OF their organs, for TINT
can never occur under any circun'slahces, hui by
| some change that takes place in the circulation
of the fluids Of the body, by which the ~ ie III
is accommodated TO a higher or lower TEN era
inre.
If we nre correct in this opinion, the sugges
! ton of Anderson would not be available II
our climate. II, according to his proposal, bee:
were 10 be kept I'll winter M an ice-house, moft
causes than one would operate to the injury o
THEN health. and consequently TO the decrease o
their number. The temperature OF an ~ice-ponss
unless we are 10 suppose the hive to be buried
in the ice itself, is much higher than thai which
ia without the house. The torpor, therefore
would no, be so complete as to pu, a stop TO the
dir esliye process. The bees would be compelled
10 eat; and as their food is constantly IN con
tact with lie impure, stHgnant air of the ice
mouse. il would soon be yillaled and engendei
diseases.
We know OF bur two diseases to which bees
are subject in this country, and they have &c
our know ledge never occurred M any otheI
season than the early part OF the spring -dysen
terry and dyspepsia. The latter arises iron
the intoIent inactive life, which they are compel
led IN lead. IN our cGridble winters. In,
rule holds good with the mos, 'iiminoii,e, Il.
well as che greatest, in annual life, that, II
we eat aud wish TO preserve health. We mus
wolk."
During the last winter (1S2S) the bees sufrr
ed more, and lost more "f their number. tt,si
| has often been known before. There WIS scarce
| " a day, that they did mol sally ont TO search iol
| employ ,nrnt aud food but not being properl,
| m q SLATED, they seldom returned 10 the hive
| We frequently saw them crawling on the ground
| weak aud sp,riiless; and lhosr that did return
! soon persisted, On examining the hives, we oh