12 Department of Agriculture 



fall and fail to bring it through the winter alive than to leave it 

 and have it die in the winter. The hive would thus be robbed out 

 by other bees and the disease probably spread all through the apiary 

 and possibly to neighboring apiaries. 



Honey disinfected by heating must not be fed to bees at a time 

 when it will be stored for winter use. Such stores will cause the 

 death of the colony by dysentery 



European Foulbrood 



Formerly the same treatment was recommended for this form 

 of foulbrood as for American foulbrood. 



Within the last few years much work has been done on a modified 

 treatment, and saving the combs of a colony infected with this 

 disease is now possible, provided the disease has not reached the 

 last stages, and provided further that all the conditions are met. 

 The possibility of success with this modified treatment is remote 

 unless good Italian bees are used. 



Three conditions are necessary to succeed with this modified 

 treatment. First, the colony must be strong; second, it must be 

 without a laying queen for a period of time; third, it must be given 

 an Italian queen of good stock. 



Make the Colony Strong. — Definite strength of colony is not 

 easily measured, but estimating the strength by the amount of brood 

 and the number of frames covered by bees is sufficiently accurate. 

 Figuring on the basis of the common L-size frame {gy% x 17^^ 

 inches), the colony should have no less than 5 frames well filled 

 with brood and enough bees to cover 6 frames. A deficiency 

 should be made up by adding frames of emerging brood from 

 healthy colonies or by uniting two or more diseased colonies. If 

 it is desired to add bees only to the colony, frames of bees from 

 healthy colonies, which can spare bees without being harmed, may 

 be shaken in front of the colony to be strengthened. The old bees 

 fly back to their hive and the young bees enter the hive in front 

 of which they are shaken. The addition of young bees is important 

 since young bees are the most active in cleaning out the cells, and 

 this i& the work needed at this time. 



