BEE DISEASES 109 



can no longer be kept out. The tendency 

 of the bee is to be thrifty and it usually 

 carries this disposition so far that it does 

 not hesitate to rob a colony that is too 

 weak in numbers to defend itself. Con- 

 sequently when a colony is attacked by 

 either of these brood diseases there is a 

 very great chance that healthy bees in 

 the neighborhood may contract the disor- 

 der on account of their tendency to ap- 

 propriate what does not belong to them. 



Probably the first evidence that the bee- 

 keeper will have to indicate disease in his 

 colonies will be the dead brood. If Amer- 

 ican foulbrood is present a peculiar foul, 

 sour smell will be noticed, but this is not 

 evident in the case of European foul- 

 brood except in certain very advanced 

 cases. 



The disease attacks the brood just be- 

 fore and during the period when the young 

 bees are being sealed up to undergo their 

 transformation to adult bees. The Euro- 

 pean form attacks somewhat earlier and 



