Live Stock. 



This time should be ascertained by the bee-keeper, who will then stimulate his 

 stocks beforehand, so that they may have their largest population ready to gather 

 the produce of the various flowers. 



Diseases are best guarded against by having dry, weather-tight hives and 

 vigorous queens, and by giving suitable food when feeding is requisite. The 

 following are the chief maladies to be apprehended :— Dysentery, a disease of 

 adult bees, is caused by undue winter confinement, unsuitable food, and damp 

 hives; Chilled-brood and Paralysis are caused by sudden frost in late spring, or 

 by untimely manipulation ;, Bee-pest or Foul-brood is a terribly infectious disease, 

 endemic in many places in England. A description of this disease is given in 

 Leaflet No. 32 issued by the Board of Agriculture. A copy may be obtained, free 

 of charge, from the offices of the Board, 4, Whitehall Place, S.W., or from any 

 County Bee- Association Secretary. 



A word of warning and encouragement on one other point must be given. 

 No one can keep bees without being stung ; the sting of a bee is painful but harmless 

 (except in rare instances), and in time, after many stings, the effect is so slight 

 as to be quite disregarded. It is advisable to wear a veil to protect the face and 

 head, but the hands should be left bare. Their best protection is the gentle, careful 

 manipulation of the bees while attending to them. The foregoing is written for 

 those who propose to keep a few stocks of bees ; anyone intending to keep a large 

 number of stocks is advised to get a season's instruction in a well-managed apiary 

 before laying out capital in the business.— T. I. Weston, in the Journal of the Board 

 of Agriculture. 



