Bee Diseases and Enemies 
409 
It has been found that the removal of the queen and the 
keeping of the colony queenless for a period often results 
in the disappearance of European foul brood. E. W. 
Alexander, who advocated this method , 1 recommended that 
the colony be kept queenless (by cutting out all queen cells 
at the end of nine days) for a period of twenty days, at 
which time a cell containing a queen of Italian stock ready to 
emerge is to be given to the colony. The young queen 
will thus begin to lay in about twenty-seven days after 
the old queen has been removed, or in at least three days 
after the last of the drone brood has emerged. Other 
writers have advocated a shorter time. 
The dequeening treatment is not always successful and it 
is therefore recommended that care be exercised in trying 
it. Since there is a considerable percentage of successful 
results, this would indicate that there is an important 
principle involved. It should not be forgotten, however, 
that European foul brood often disappears in the late 
summer of its own accord if the case is not severe, and it 
is probable that in many of the cases of dequeening re¬ 
ported as successful the disease would have disappeared 
without the treatment. This treatment is suggested only 
for the experienced beekeeper. 
DISEASES OF ADULT BEES 
These diseases are but imperfectly known and there is 
much need of further investigation. In view of this condi¬ 
tion it is virtually impossible to give much help in treatment. 
Dysentery. 
This condition is one which is manifest chiefly in late 
winter and is caused by improper food. It is therefore dis¬ 
cussed in the chapter on wintering. 
•Alexander, E. W., 1905. How to rid your apiary of black brood. 
Gleanings in bee culture, XXXIII, pp. 1125-1127. 
