124 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



largely remain. It seems to be beyond the power of the bees to remove 

 these scales, so if foul brood has been present they remain to reveal it 

 if one will take the proper course to discover them. This is best done in 

 this way : Take the comb by the top bar and hold it so that a good light 

 falls into the cells at an' angle of about 70 or 80 degrees from the top of 

 the comb, while the sight falls upon the cells at an angle of about 45 

 degrees. The scales if present will be readily discovered lying as already 

 described, reaching almost to the margin of the lower side of the cell. 

 I consider this a verj^ sure method of diagnosis, though in one or two cases 

 I have seen similar scales where the death of the brood resulted from 

 other causes. 



Other characteristics of the disease which are useful in aiding in its 

 discovery are the peculiar odor and the appearance of the cappings of 

 diseased cells; such cappings, while they vary in color, are generally 

 darker than those of healthy cells, almost always sunken or flattened, 

 often have irregular perforations of vaiying sizes and the comb containing 

 much of the disease presents altogether an unprosperous, sickly appear- 

 ance. The odor is very unpleasant and may be described as an "old smell," 

 and it is well said to be like that of a poor quality of glue when heated. 

 If a colony is badly diseased the odor is sometimes felt on raising the 

 cover of the hive and generally on applying the nose to the top of the 

 brood combs. 



If one handles the combs of his bees frequently and keeps the subject 

 of foul brood on his mind, what I have already said will enable him to 

 discover the disease very soon after its appearance in his apiary, but if 

 brood combs are handled but little it is quite important, if one would 

 insure himself in some degree against losses from the disease, that a 

 strict watch be kept on the condition, in respect to disease, of all colonies 

 that appear from external indications to be lacking in prosperity, and 

 especially of colonies to which robbers seem to be attracted, for the odor 

 of foul brood has an attraction to bees, seeming to indicate to them that 

 the colony emitting it is about in a condition to permit its being robbed 

 with impunity. And this not because colonies wanting in prosperity 

 are more likely to contract the disease, but because this condition may 

 be the result of disease. If the disease is once discovered to be present, 

 then it would be the part of wisdom to examine each colony carefully 

 under strict regulation against robbing. 



The cure of floul brood is difficult only because it is diflScult to discover 

 the disease in its incipient stages in every colony, and to determine every 

 colony in which are germs of disease lying dormant ready to develope 

 when favorable conditions are present, it may be after many months. 

 And when the disease is disseminated among the bees in the neighbor- 

 hood, especially among wild bees, a final cure may be the work of years, 

 but with care, even under the worst circumstances, it may be kept in 

 such subjection that the injury therefrom will not he great, and under 

 favorable circumstances it may be quickly exterminated. 



The cure of any particular colony is very simple and certain, the 

 cautions to be observed having to do with preventing the access of bees 

 from healthy colonies to the diseased combs, since such access would 

 almost certainly spread the disease to other colonies. To preclude this 

 danger, all the necessary opere tions must be performed when no bees are 

 flying, or v,hen the pasturage 'offers so much nectar that there is no dis- 



