I40 AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 



the queen for a few days, or by giving a wide entrance 

 and placing queen-excluding zinc across. 



SAVING HEALTHY BROOD. 



When several colonies are to be treated and there is 

 a large quantity of healthy brood in the combs, put a 

 queen-excluding zinc honey-board over the frames of 

 one of the least-affected hives and put all the healthy 

 brood above this to emerge. When this has been 

 accomplished, remove everything and treat the colony 

 in the manner advised. The zinc prevents the queen 

 making use of the affected combs while the brood is 

 emerging. 



AUTUMN TREATMENT. 



When it is desired to treat colonies in the autumn 

 after brood-rearing has ceased, just put the bees into 

 clean hives provided with ample winter stores in the 

 shape of frames of honey from clean colonies. The 

 disease is not likely to reappear. 



YOUNG QUEENS. 



There can be little doubt that bees from young 

 vigorous queens can better cope with disease than those 

 bred from aged and weak mothers. It is therefore 

 advisable to change the queens at the time of or shortly 

 after treatment if those in the affected hives are not up 

 to the mark : in any case, it is profitable to do so if 

 young queens can be obtained. 



TREATMENT OF " BLACK BROOD " {BacUluS alvei). 



Authorities are still undecided as to the best method 

 of treatment of this disease, but a good number of those 

 who have tried it speak well of that recommended by 

 the late E. W. Alexander, which he had adopted himself 

 with great success. The following is his method put 

 briefly :— 



Build up the diseased colonies by uniting them, or 

 giving brood until they are strong; then remove all the 



