8 BULLETIN 1349, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE 



then, how important it is for the beekeeper to do everything in his 

 power to have conditions in the hive just right at the moment this 

 phase begins, if his colony is to get a good start from the very begin- 

 ning of the season. Such action on the part of the beekeeper is 

 especially imperative in regions where the honey flow follows close 

 upon the opening of the active season, because under such circum- 

 stances little time is given the colony in which to build up, and such 

 time as is granted must be used to best advantage. In localities 

 with early honey flows a successful season is dependent largely on 

 the number of bees reared in the period of initial expansion. 



Regardless of any direct bearing upon the honey crop, it is to the 

 advantage of the beekeeper to make the most of the tendency toward 

 greatly heightened brood-rearing activity during the period of initial 

 expansion, merely for the sake of having his colonies strong enough to 

 resist certain diseases successfully. A colony which has gained a 

 maximum population during the initial expansion is in a far better 

 position to ward off European foul brood than is one which increases 

 only slowly in the spring. It is too often the case in regions where 

 this disease is prevalent that the nectar flows are not so correlated 

 with the period of initial expansion as to result in a strong enough 

 population to enable a Colony to overcome the presence of this 

 disease. That strength of population will minimize the effects of 

 diseases of adult bees also is shown by the comparatively slight loss 

 occasioned by Nosema apis in strong colonies. Morgenthaler {12) 

 has stated his belief that a good proline queen is one of the greatest 

 aids in overcoming the Isle of Wight disease. In other words, the 

 colony which successfully withstands the disease must be in good 

 condition and strong enough to discount the loss in the adult popu- 

 lation. Among all the invaders of hive or colony itself, the wax 

 moth furnishes probably the most commonly recognized example of 

 the importance and utility of a strong colony population as a curb 

 to the harmful activities of invading organisms. For a colony to be 

 strong throughout an entire season, however, a maximum increase 

 in population must have been made first of all during the initial 

 expansion. The successful beekeeper supplies conditions which 

 cause the largest possible increase of colony population during the 

 initial expansion, not only for the sake of obtaining a large number 

 of honey gatherers during this period, but also to provide sufficient 

 bees to resist chance inroads upon the colony. This especially 

 applies in regions where natural conditions between the period of 

 initial expansion and the main honey flow are not conducive to a 

 sufficient increase in population to keep the colony from falling an 

 easy prey to certain invading organisms. 



Among some of the important factors which are within the power 

 of the beekeeper to provide are a prolific queen, sufficient bees 

 wintered over to meet all brood-rearing requirements in the spring, 

 sufficient worker brood cells, sufficient stores of good honey, and 

 proper insulation. All of these are factors which must and can be 

 provided in the manipulations in the latter part of the previous 

 season if the beekeeper wishes to -take the utmost advantage of the 

 natural tendency toward intense brood-rearing activity at the begin- 

 ning of spring. Conditions within the hive making for brood rearing 

 during the period of initial expansion may be likened to a charge of 

 explosives set to go off at a certain moment in the spring, the time 



