]^4 farmers' bulletin 975. 



or a queen cell. As soon as the dead larvae are removed, which may 

 be easily determined by examinations, the colony is given a young 

 vigorous Italian queen of resistant stock. If only a few diseased 

 cells are observed and if the colony is fairly populous the queen may 

 simply be caged and released later when the dead brood is removed. 



The length of time necessary for the cleaning out of the dead larvae 

 varies with the strength of the colony, and for weak colonies it may be 

 necessary to wait until all brood has emerged before giving a young 

 queen.^ This method should not be employed unless each colony has 

 enough bees to sustain at least five combs full of brood. Some col- 

 onies seem to clean out dead brood more rapidly than others of the 

 same strength. If the honey-flow comes early it will usually be pos- 

 sible to reduce the period of queenlessness to a few days. A bee- 

 keeper may use the time necessary for cleaning up as an indication 

 of the strength of his colonies, for if he finds a long time needed he 

 may be sure that his colonies, for some reason, are not as prosperous 

 as they should be. If it is certain that there will be no honey-flow 

 until midsummer or later it is not so necessary, from the standpoint 

 of good beekeeping, to have all colonies strong so early in the year, 

 but it is surely an exceptional locality where there is nothing for the 

 bees to get in early summer. 



Where the beekeeper is dependent on a late honey-flow it is often 

 desirable to move the bees during the early part of the season to some 

 place where nectar may be obtained. This will often be easier and 

 less expensive than treating the colonies. For example, the author 

 was shown a location in the west where European foulbrood caused 

 great annoyance during the spring, while apiaries not many miles 

 away were able to get enough nectar to ward off the disease and at 

 the same time to give the beekeeper enough profit to justify the ex- 

 pense and time of moving. In such a case preventive measures are 

 cheaper and better than the remedial measures here described. Apiary 

 inspectors should exercise judgment in such cases and permit the 

 moving of colonies to such places, provided they are sure that due 

 precautions will be taken. No precautions need be demanded if the 

 new location is already infected. 



^ This method of treatment was described in Its essentials in 1905, In an article 

 published in a periodical devoted to beekeeping. The writer of that article advised 

 that the colony be left queenless for three days after all drone-brood has emerged, thus 

 making a queenless period of 27 days. Later other beekeepers tried shorter periods 

 with success. It should be remembered that the apiaries belonging to the writer of the 

 article referred to were located in the buckwheat region of New York, and that he used 

 a small hive, and on account of these conditions It may be safely assumed that at the time 

 when European foulbrood attacks colonies his colonies were unusually weak. Those 

 who have found a shorter time sufficient have been located in regions where the colony 

 strength may be developed earlier because of earlier honey-flows, or perhaps in some cases 

 these beekeepers wintered better, so that in the spring their colonies were in better 

 condition to resist the ravages of the disease. It would be quite possible to refer to 

 apiaries where the wintering is good and where the spring care Is sufficient to elimi- 

 nate entirely the period of queenlessness. 



