46 



SIm.uM a hive ill tliu lireriliiig st-asuii Iwciime (|ueciili'a.s, eitlier tlii'ough the death of 

 the .|ueen or throii^Hi lier removal by the bee-keeper, the bees at onee proeeed to devehjp 

 a siicre.ssni- from the young larviv and eggs on liand, Imihliiig the cells on the faces of 

 the combs. Shdiild they send out a s«aim it will Ije headed liy a virgin, and, of course, 

 the scrond one -Hill come fnrtli a day or two later. 



Tlie facts in the last paragraph give us the key to making increase under tlie control 

 of the beedieeper. A sini])le method, but rather wasteful, is to divide a very strong 

 hive into two parts, leavnig onedialf on the old stand and setting the other on a new 

 one. The half without a queen will at once start queen-cells. The drawbacks to this 

 plan consists in the probable lo.«s of young brood through neglect in the part that was 

 moved, and in the sloping down of egg-laying liy the (pieen. 



Here is a nuicli more etficient way : Kemove the hive from the stand and in its 

 place ])ul one containing only empty condis or foundation. Take out the centre comb, 

 then turn to the old hive and look for the (jueen. ^\'hen she has been found, set the 

 frame she is on in the centre of the emptj' hive. Put a cpieen-excluder above, then on 

 top place the old hive, into which now put the empty coml) from the lower one ; replace 

 the co\er. Leave the condjination alone for five days, then look carefully over the 

 combs in the u]>per body to see whether or not queen-cells have been started. If such 

 arc found, carry the u]iper story to a new stand. We have gained much in the five days. 

 The queen has been stopped I)ut' little ; much of the brood afjo\'e has hatched, lessening 

 the cares of the workers thei'e, and there is an army of yoinig bees in the upper division 

 that will stay where they are put. When no cells are started, leave the hives together 

 for frve days more. After moving the upper story to a new stand it must be provided 

 with a frame containing larva' and eggs, for, of conrse, all its own larva? are too old. 

 This frame may be taken from any hive, preferably from one that is noted for good 

 workers. Shake all the bees off the frame, to make certain j'ou do not carry the cpieen 

 with you. 



As many queens get lost in the mating flight, it is always ad\-isable to examine a 

 hive about twelve days after the queen hatches out. If eggs are found, things are 

 probably all right ; but if no eggs are present, then gi-v-e a frame of brood with eggs from 

 another hive, so that, if necessary, another queen may be raised. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

 Diseases. 



Bee diseases are divided into two kinds, those that attack the mature bees and 

 those that att'eot tlie brood. 



The adults are liable to diarrhiea, paralysis, and a vague one in the early part of 

 the season that is generally called "spring dwindling." Diarrhcea frequently occurs 

 when the bees have been compelled for several weeks to s*ay in the hives, especially on 

 poor stores, such as fruit-juiees and honey-dew— the latter being an excretion from 

 aphids and scale insects which is sometimes plentiful in the autumn in the coast 

 regions. Honey-dew is usiially very dark, often granulates quickly, and has an 

 unpleasant taste. When in health, bees empty their bowels only when on the wing, 

 but when flight is hindered for some weeks the evacuation may occur in the hive. 

 This is the reason why bottom boards should be cleaned otf' early in spring, so as to 

 get rid of the germs. 



