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care of itself. It is then that the greatest destruction ensues, for such 
a colony will defend itself vigorously, and a pitched battle, with per- 
haps fifty or sixty thousand Athazons on either side, leaves the ground 
literally strewn with dead and dying. 
If the invaders conquer, every drop of honey is taken from the few 
vanquished that are likely to be still alive; and in turn the despoilers 
invariably fight among themselves as to the possession of the booty. 
When the robbing takes place during the absence of the owner, the con- 
dition of the robbed colony may not attract immediate attention, and 
during warm weather moth larve gain full possession of the combs 
within a few days. When this condition is observed, the whole damage 
is very likely to be attributed to the moth larve. Colonies that have 
been left queenless for some time, and those weakened by disease or by 
overswarming, are especial marks for such attacks. Of course these 
defects should be remedied whenever observed, but meanwhile, if legiti- 
mate field work is likely to be interrupted, every colony should be 
assisted in protecting itself against assault by having its hive made 
secure and the entrance such a narrow pass as to enable a few workers 
to repel attack there. 
Should robbers get well started before being observed, the entrance 
of the hive should be narrowed at once, and wet grass or weeds may be 
thrown loosely over it, or a pane of glass may be stood against the front 
of the hive in a slanting manner to confuse the intruders. In extreme 
cases the attacked colonies may be removed to a cellar for a few days, 
plenty of ventilation being given during confinement, and a new loca- 
tion, apart from other colonies, selected, on which they are to be placed 
just at nightfall; or, instead of putting them in the cellar, they may be 
taken a mile or more away and returned only when the danger has 
passed. With these precautions, little loss is to be feared on this score. 
In general, the intelligent owner who gives careful attention to cer- 
tain important points in bee management finds that he very rarely has 
disease to contend with, and that the reduction of profits through the 
depredations of bee enemies is not, in most parts of the Union, a seri- 
ous discouragement. Altogether it seems to the writer that the risks 
in these directions are even less in bee keeping than those usually met 
in the keeping of other animals, which, like bees, are legitimately 
made to contribute to the wealth of the individual and of the nation. 
LEGISLATION AFFECTING APIARIAN INTERESTS. 
Many States have in recent years passed laws having for their pur- 
pose the eradication or suppression of contagious diseases among bees. 
State and county inspectors have been appointed under these laws, 
whose duty it is to go about and ascertain where diseased colonies of 
bees are located, and recommend the treatment to be given, or in some 
cases to carry out this treatment, even to the complete destruction of 
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