Nc. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 409 



aud at least in the advanced stages having a peculiar trembling 

 movement. It seems inclined to leave the hive, and the well bees 

 «how an anxiety to have it leave by tugging at it much as they would 

 at a dead bee. 



No reliable cure has yet been found, much to the regret of some 

 bee-keepers in the south who have lost heavily by it. Fortunately, 

 it is not a very serious matter as far north as Pennsylvania, and 

 the bee-keeper need pay no attention to it. 'A few bees in one or 

 more colonies may be lost by it, and then it may disappear of its own 

 accord. Of course, where many bees in a colony are alfected by it, 

 such a colony can not be expected to do very good work. 



The beginner is sometimes alarmed at finding a condition that 

 he supposes is due to disease. The larvae are sealed up before 

 attaining the pupa state, but sometimes a row or a cluster of cells 

 will be found unsealed when the young bees are near maturity. 

 These hare-headed hees, however, seem as healthy as any, and need 

 give no uneasiness. It is not agreed just what is the cause of the 

 trouble, but some think the bees have been sealed over and then 

 wax-worms have destroyed the cappings. 



Another thing that is sometimes mistaken for disease is a little 

 more serious, although not at all a disease. When working on milk- 

 weed (Asclepias cornuti), masses of pollen become attached to the 

 feet of a bee, so that it cannot use its feet to climb upon the combs, 

 and is driven out by the other bees. Usually the number of such 

 bees is not great, and it is possible that the amount of honey gath- 

 ered from the plant may compensate for the loss. 



CARE OF COMBS. 



Almost any bee-keeper will sometimes have honey-combs that 

 are for a time unoccupied by bees. If through no other cause, he 

 may have colonies die in winter leaving combs empty or occupied 

 by honey or pollen. Such combs are valuable property and will 

 well repay the care required to preserve them. The three principal 

 enemies of unoccupied combs are mold, mice and moths. 



Combs kept in a damp, close cellar are likely to be affected by mold. 

 They should not be kept generally in such a place, yet it can not be 

 entirely prevented where bees are wintered in the cellar, for even 

 if no colonies die it may happen that some of the outer combs unoccu- 

 pied by bees will be covered with mold. Fortunately, the remedy 

 is not difficult. Put a moldy comb next the brood-nest of a prosper- 

 ous colony m the working season, and you will be surprised to find 

 how soon they will clean it up so you will hardly recognize it as the 

 same comb. 



Mice must be kept away from combs by shutting them up in hives 



