280 TENNESSEE AGRICULTURE 



make them eat it before they can find a place to put it. To make 

 sure of this not one bit of comb of any kind can be left in the hive. 

 Even sheets of foundation are unsafe, as some cells can be so quickly 

 drawn out enough to deposit a little infected honey. The hive must 

 be quite empty so far as comb or foundation is concerned, except that 

 a very narrow starter of foundation not more than one-half inch 

 wide may be placed in the frames to indicate where the combs are 

 to be built. Thus the diseased honey will be consumed in wax secre- 

 tion before any of it can be deposited in the hive. 



METHOD OF TREATMENT. 



When there is a good honey flow on the colonies should first be 

 prepared for treatment by removing from the hive every comb which 

 does not contain brood. This will include all the super comb and 

 probably two or more next the walls in the brood chamber. These 

 must be put under cover immediately and destroyed as soon as possible. 

 The remaining brood combs should be loosened and spread apart to 

 facilitate rapid handling. When all colonies are thus prepared dur- 

 ing the day it will be a short matter to finish the treatment in the 

 evening. 



When the bees have nearly stopped flying for the night each pre- 

 pared colony is treated as follows : First remove it from its stand,. 

 then set in its place a clean, disinfected hive containing clean frames 

 with one-half inch starters. If the queen is not clipped the entrance 

 to this hive must be covered with queen-excluding metal. Now shake 

 the bees from the combs of the old hive into the new ; but if any 

 fresh nectar flies out in shaking it will be necessary to brush instead 

 of shaking, or make a runway to the hive of newspaper and shake 

 the bees in front of the new hive. After the operation the soiled 

 newspaper should be destroyed. In shaking in front of the hive the 

 first one or two frames should be so shaken that the bees are thrown 

 against the front of the hive, where they will quickly locate the 

 entrance. Get these combs immediately under cover, and clean up 

 very carefully any honey that may be around, so that robbers from 

 healthy colonies cannot carry home disease. 



When the diseased colonies are weak in bees, the bees of two or 

 three should be put together into one clean hive so as to get a good 

 sized colony with which to start the cure. 



But in doing this diseased colonies must be united with their next- 

 door neighbor, and not carried to another part of the apiary, as flying 

 bees will be sure to return and may enter adjoining healthy colonies, 

 carrying disease. 



