222 DISEASES AND ENEMIES OF BEES 



If the queen at the head of the diseased colony be old or failing 

 it is well to re-queen with vigorous young stock. Some recom- 

 mend treatment for this disease as with foul brood, but that is 

 seldom, if ever, necessary. In bad cases where the colony is 

 weak the queen should be replaced and the colony strengthened 

 by the addition of frames of emerging brood. 



Symptoms of Sacbrood. — This disease somewhat resembles 

 European foul brood and is frequently confused with that dis- 

 ease. Inspectors have in several instances been called long dis- 

 tances to deal with European foul brood, only to find after a 

 few days' delay that the disease was sacbrood and had nearly 

 disappeared of itself. The dead larvfc are found to be extended 

 the full length in the cell with the sharp pointed end slightly 

 turned upward. The dead tissue soon assumes a dark color and 

 there is little or no odor to the combs. 



Chilled or Starved Brood. — The young bees die from several 

 other causes than any of the three diseases mentioned. It fre- 

 quently happens in early spring that the brood nest expands rap- 

 idly during the first warm days, with the result that a sudden 

 drop in the temperature makes it impossible for the bees to 

 warm all the brood and a portion becomes chilled. The supply 

 of honey or pollen is also at times exhausted when unfavorable 

 weather conditions make it impossible for the bees to gather 

 stores for a considerable period and much brood is lost from 

 starvation. 



When bees are being moved without sufficient ventilation 

 the brood is sometimes lost from overheating. All of these causes 

 are occasionally responsible for the supposition that foul brood 

 is present when, in fact, it is not. 



Poisoning. — The gi'owth of the commercial fruit industry 

 has developed a new difficulty, — poisoning the bees. It fre- 

 quently happens that some overzealous fruit grower, blind to his 

 own best interest, sprays his fruit trees while in full bloom. 

 This not only injures the chances of getting a full crop of 



