258 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



to sun and air for two seasons, and stock them thereafter 

 without experiencing a return of the malady. 



" On the whole, the disease has now lost its terrors for 

 me. Though my bees may re-introduce it from neighbor- 

 ing Apiaries or other foreign sources, I no longer appre- 

 hend that it wiil suddenly break out in a number of my 

 colonies, or spread rapidly in any of my Apiaries, because 

 I shall hereafter avoid feeding foreign or imported honey, 

 even if, in an unfavorable year, it should become neces- 

 sary to reduce the number of my stocks to one-half or 

 one-fourth of the usual complement. 



" But when the malady makes its appearance in only 

 two or three of the colonies, and is discovered early 

 (which may readily be done in hives having movable- 

 combs), it can be arrested and cured without damage 

 or diminution of profit. To prevent the disease from 

 spreading in a colony^ there is no more reliable and effi- 

 cient process than to stop the peodtjction of brood, 

 for where no hrood exists, none can perish and putrefy. 

 The disease is thus deprived both of its aliment and its 

 subjects. The healthy brood will mature and emerge in 

 due time, and the jiutrid matter remaining in a few cells 

 wiU dry up and be removed by the workers. All this 

 will certainly result from a well-timed retnoval of the 

 queen from such colonies. K such removal becomes 

 necessary in the Spring or early part of Summer, a super- 

 numerary queen is thereby obtained, by means of which 

 an artificial colony may be started, which will certainly 

 be healthy if the bees and brood used, be taken from 

 healthy colonies. Should the removal be made in the 

 latter part of Summer, the useless production of brood 

 will at once be stopped, and an unnecessary consumption 

 of honey presented. Thus, in either case, we are gainers 

 by the operati in. If we have a larger number of colonies 



