Bee Diseases and Enemies 409 



It has been found that the removal of the queen and the 

 keeping of the colony queenless for a period often results 

 in the disappearance of European foul brood. E. W. 

 Alexander, who advocated this method,' recommended that 

 the colony be kept queenless (by cutting out all queen cells 

 at the end of nine days) for a period of twenty days, at 

 which time a cell containing a queen of Italian stock ready to 

 emerge is to be given to the colony. The young queen 

 will thus begin to lay in about twenty-seven days after 

 the old queen has been removed, or in at least three days 

 after the last of the drone brood has emerged. Other 

 writers have advocated a shorter time. 



The dequeening treatment is not always successful and it 

 is therefore recommended that care be exercised in trying 

 it. Since there is a considerable percentage of successful 

 results, this would indicate that there is an important 

 principle involved. It should not be forgotten, however, 

 that European foul brood often disappears in the late 

 summer of its own accord if the case is not severe, and it 

 is probable that in many of the cases of dequeening re- 

 ported as successful the disease would have disappeared 

 without the treatment. This treatment is suggested only 

 for the experienced beekeeper. 



DISEASES OF ADULT BEES 



These diseases are but imperfectly known and there is 

 much need of further investigation. In view of this condi- 

 tion it is virtually impossible to give much help in treatment. 



Dysentery. 



This condition is one which is manifest chiefly in late 

 winter and is caused by improper food. It is therefore dis- 

 cussed in the chapter on wintering. 



'Alexander, E. W., 1905. How to rid your apiary of black brood. 

 Gleanings in bee culture, XXXIII, pp. 1125-1127. 



