274 
DIAGNOSING COLONIES 
overheated. That which dies will be car¬ 
ried out in front. 
When the moth worm is present (see 
Bee Moth) some of the brood will be de¬ 
stroyed along the line of the galleries made 
by the worms. These will be deposited in 
front of the entrance the same as larvae 
dead from any other cause. 
The presence of dead young brood out 
in front of the hive is always an indica¬ 
tion that something is wrong. When it is 
dead from overheating or chilling there is 
nothing that the apiarist can do, because 
the damage is already done; but when it 
is dead because of near starvation, colo¬ 
nies should have immediate attention. In 
the case of the wax moth, the galleries 
should be removed as soon as it is conveni¬ 
ent to do so. 
WINTER DIAGNOSIS. 
During winter and early spring one can 
often get a very fair idea of what is tak¬ 
ing place in the colony by entrance diag¬ 
nosis. If the front of the hive and ground 
in front are spotted with yellow, yellowish- 
brown, or brown or black spots, and if, 
further, there is a large lot of bees out in 
front with abdomens looking greasy and 
black and much distended, it shows the 
presence of dysentery, and probably no at¬ 
tention need be given, because nothing can 
be done, since the colony will die away, 
in all probability. Before that eventuality 
takes place, the entrances should be closed 
to prevent robbing. 
During late winter or early spring, in 
front of some of the best colonies may be 
found perhaps a hundred or more dead 
bees. If their bodies are shrunken, and if 
there are no yellow or brown spots, it may 
be assumed that the colony is in a pros¬ 
perous condition, and that the dead bees in 
front are only the superannuated that 
would have died anyway. Beginners very 
often ask, when they see dead bees in 
front of a hive, what the matter is. The 
fact is, there is nothing wrong. If, on the 
other hand, there should be a quart or two 
of dead bees, their bodies ill-smelling, it 
would indicate that the colony is pot win¬ 
tering as well as it should; but usually 
when there is an abnormal number of 
deaths, it is because of dysentery induced 
by insufficient protection or poor food, or 
by the well-meaning owner who is tinker¬ 
ing with his colony during midwinter to 
see how they are coming on. 
During late winter or early spring it is 
not advisable to open up the hives any 
more than is absolutely necessary. This 
“necessary” should be only when the col¬ 
ony needs feeding. 
To determine which colonies are running 
short, it is advisable to lift up on the back 
of the hive. 
ADULT BEE DISEASES. 
The presence of bee paralysis or of the 
disappearing disease can be determined by 
the behavior of sick bees in the grass near 
the entrance. Bees affected with paralysis 
have swollen bodies looking something like 
those that are affected with dysentery. Oc¬ 
casionally they will void a yellowish trans¬ 
parent fluid, but not an opaque yellow, or 
a brown or black substance such as ap¬ 
pears in the case of dysentery. (See Dys¬ 
entery.) Bees affected with the disappear¬ 
ing disease show no swollen abdomens. 
They will run at a furious pace in the 
grass, some of them crawling up on spears 
of grass and weeds, and finally dying. For 
particulars of how to treat, see Diseases 
of Bees. 
FOUL BROOD BY THE ODOR. 
The presence of American foul brood in 
an advanced stage can sometimes be de¬ 
tected by the odor at the entrance of a hive 
affected. When one finds, as he goes thru 
the apiary, an odor resembling that of an 
old gluepot, having some suggestion of 
spoiled meat, he would do well to place his 
nose near the entrance of some of the 
colonies. The author has on one or two 
occasions discovered the presence of foul 
brood by the odor at the entrance, even 
when an examination of the combs for the 
time being has failed to reveal any dead 
larvae in the cells. Such diagnosis for foul 
brood, however, is by no means reliable; 
but when the familiar odor is detected near 
a hive, all colonies near by should be ex¬ 
amined. 
Occasionally the old queen may be found 
in front of the hive dead. If it is during 
the spraying season it may be surmised 
that she was killed by one of the poisons 
used for spraying fruit trees, to kill the 
