The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-04-15
BEE CHOLERA.

EDITOR True NoRTHERNER:
DEAR SIR-In your hamilton locals you ask
some Bee Man "How we many know If bees die
with the Bee Cholera 2" Iwould say, I'VE have
no such disease as the Bee Cholera" You
may ask what killed Squire Coles? will try
and explain: Last September, we had frost
which checked the flow OF honey to such an
extent, as to cause the bees to stop breeding,
30 that the middle Of October, not one swarm
out Of ten, had any unmatched brood. And, as
not but few bees live to exceed 60 days in the
exceed 40 days, and but few live to exceed
100 days in the Winter season, your readers
will see that all bees that were hatched before
the middle Of October, will be dead by the mid
die OF February, or certainly by the 1st Of
March. And as bees flew for about one month
after they stopped breeding, q great many
swarms were light CT bees when Winter set ia,
and set in so suddenly that bees we're not any
better prepared for Winter, than the farmer
who had his corn to husk and apples to pick
and OF all that are dead, you cannot find but a
few that bad even any brood in the hives and a
great many which had no signs of their having
been any nits deposited since October
We have disease termed the Dysentery, (by
some called Bee Cholera) which 1 will try to
describe, also the cause and cure, or preventa-
tive. You will know if a swarm dies with the
dysentery, by the combs and the inside OF the
hive being daubed and besmeared and many
| times the bees also, and the whole having a
| fetid rank smell.
Cause-1st-Poor honey, aud som metimes hav-
| ing access to cider mlll-which is apt to have
bad effect sometimes even upon men and
boys. Tho honey sours in ths hive, and II the
bees are exposed to severe cold of long dura-
tion, and especially as they begin to get aged
become restless, and begin to move and craw
about, which creates . dampness and otter
| frost, which causes the bees to crawl, (ano
often the honey freezes 30 that the bees otter
OF comb) and il long confined in the hive
causes them to daub their hives and honey
which eventually gives the bees what is termed
the dysentery.
Preventatlve-u you find your bees have
stopped breeding in September, or 1st of Octo'
Der, Kill off your old and poorest Queens, ant
double In the bees, till all swarms are vel
stalksd With bees, soc that you have good brood
combs in the center OF your hives. Their
commence feeding the surplus honey or good
A sugar melted, just a small quantity, If sugar
just at dark and put upon the comb and placed
under lhe hive, or in the upper story; If honey
hang combs in the upper story, and by so do.
ing, you can keep bees breeding till cold weather
sets In. And il properly protected by being II
double walled chsh hive, or packed in tene
ment chaf hives or houses, so as TO produce
temperature sufficiently warm, that they vii
breed in January and February, there will bt
no danger Of the dysentery, or OF sprins
dwindling, etc.s
This Winter, bees have had as good a chance
TO die as any, since 1 can remember--and
have handled bees over forty years--done moth
ing else for the last seven years AS the beel
stopped breeding in October and were com
pelled to remain In the hive without fly 70
over 100 days, which extended beyond the tim,
that a bee lives by 20 or 80 days, including
October. and but few raised any brood.
would hike 70 know what hindered them from
deing. Yours Respectfully,
WM. III. WHICHER, Bloomingdale,
u Van Buren County, Mich.
April 4th, 1881.