8 BULLETIN 1349, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
then, how important it is for the beekeeper to do everything in his 
power to have conditions in the hive just right at the moment this 
phase begins, if his colony is to get a good start from the very begin- 
ning of the season. Such action on -the part of the beekeeper is 
especially imperative in regions where the honey flow follows close 
upon the opening of the active season, because under such circum- 
stances little time is given* the colony in which to build up, and such 
time as is granted must be used to best advantage. In localities 
with early honey flows a successful season is dependent largely on 
the number of bees reared in the period of initial expansion. 
Kegardless of any direct bearing upon the honey crop, it is to the 
advantage of the beekeeper to make the most of the tendency toward 
greatly heightened brood-rearing activity during the period of initial 
expansion, merely for the sake of having his colonies strong enough to 
resist certain diseases successfully. A colony which has gained a 
maximum population during the initial expansion is in a far better 
position to ward off European foul brood than is one which increases 
only slowly in the spring. It is too often the case in regions where 
this disease is prevalent that the nectar flows are not so correlated 
with the period of initial expansion as to result in a strong enough 
population to enable a colony to overcome the presence of this 
disease. That strength of population will minimize the effects of 
diseases of adult bees also is shown by the comparatively slight loss 
occasioned by Nosema apis in strong colonies. Morgenthaler {12) 
has stated his belief that a good prolific queen is one of the greatest 
aids in overcoming the Isle of Wight disease. In other words, the 
colony which successfully withstands the disease must be in good 
condition and strong enough to discount the loss in the adult popu- 
lation. Among all the invaders of hive or colony itself, the wax 
moth furnishes probably the most commonly recognized example of 
the importance and utility of a strong colony population as a curb 
to the harmful activities of invading organisms. For a colony to be 
strong throughout an entire season, however, a maximum increase 
in population must have been made first of all during the initial 
expansion. The successful beekeeper supplies conditions which 
cause the largest possible increase of colony population during the 
initial expansion, not only for the sake of obtaining a large number 
of honey gatherers during this period, but also to provide sufficient 
bees to resist chance inroads upon the colony. This especially 
applies in regions where natural conditions between the period of 
initial expansion and the main honey flow are not conducive to a 
sufficient increase in population to keep the colony from falling an 
easy prey to certain invading organisms. 
Among some of the important factors which are within the power 
of the beekeeper to provide are a prolific queen, sufficient bees 
wintered over to meet all brood-rearing requirements in the spring, 
sufficient worker brood cells, sufficient stores of good honey, and 
proper insulation. All of these are factors which must and can be 
provided in the manipulations in the latter part of the previous 
season if the beekeeper wishes to take the utmost advantage of the 
natural tendency toward intense brood-rearing activity at the begin- 
ning of spring. Conditions within the hive making for brood rearing 
during the period of initial expansion may be likened to a charge of 
explosives set to go off at a certain moment in the spring, the time 
