> Bald-headed brood. It sometimes happens that unsealed or only partially sealed pupae, known as "bald-headed brood," are observed in the hive, and frequently beginners mistake such a condition for disease. The partially built capping is often mistaken for the punctured capping of American foul brood. If, on examination, the pupae are normal no fear need be entertained.

This sometimes comes up during inspections and folks wonder what it is about. What is interesting about the above description is that it was published in 1911, one hundred years ago, by E F Phillips. Here's another bit of wisdom from the same source regarding a problem we often see late in the winter:

> SPRING DWINDLING. It sometimes happens that the adult bees in a colony die off in the spring more rapidly than they are replaced by emerging brood.  This condition is probably due to the fact that the colony goes into winter with too large a percentage of old worn-out bees. To prevent this, brood rearing should be continued as late as possible in the fall; if necessary, by stimulative feeding.  

See: 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. FARMERS' BULLETIN 442.
E. F. PHILLIPS, PH. D., In Charge of Bee Culture, Bureau of Entomology.
WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE . 1911.

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