Report of State Inspector of Apiaries. 65 



By this time the prepared hive will or should be full of both 

 comb and brood and without any foul brood or any trace of the 

 disease. In fact it will be and remain a healthy colony. At least 

 that has been my experience for thirty years. 



The now empty hive may, by simply scraping it thoroughly, 

 be used again with no occurrence of the disease. 



The foregoing treatment of foulbrood malady is based upon 

 the generally accepted theory, which I indorse, that the honey in 

 the combs of a foulbrood colony is more or less impregnated with 

 the germs of the disease. The manipulation given simply but 

 successfully transfers all the bees — nurse-bees included — from the 

 foulbrood colony to another hive free from disease, and without 

 any of the diseased honey in their bodies, nor in the food the nurse- 

 bees may have in their stomachs. All the nurse-bees by this plan 

 remain in the diseased colony until their baby-food becomes ex- 

 hausted, and the method outlined is the only one I am acquainted 

 with that secures this result when the combs of the diseased colony 

 are filled with brood in all stages of its growth. 



To conclude: As soon as foulbrood is found to exist in an 

 apiary please don't get excited nor foolish, and thereupon burn or 

 otherwise destroy the entire apiary. The better way by far is to 

 ascertain as speedily as possible how many colonies are diseased, 

 mark them, and then let them severely alone until the proper time 

 arrives to treat them. Do not open such hives nor handle the 

 combs unless absolutely necessary, and then use care that no rob- 

 ber bees get a chance to steal and carry off more or less of the 

 honey." 



The careful bee-keeper who keeps everything cleaned up in 

 his apiary and is very careful, this last method of treatment during 

 honey harvest will give satisfaction. Be sure the brood combs 

 from other swarms are healthy and a good bee-escape is at hive 

 entrance so no bees can return through it. I use the Porter bee- 

 escape just above entrance, which is nailed closed. Read very 

 carefully Mr. Baldridge's method and follow it to the letter. 



THE PART OF THE APIARY LAW INTERESTING TO BEE-KEEPERS. 



Sec. 2. Said Inspector shall, when notified of the existence of the disease known 

 as foul brood, or other infectious disease among apiaries, examine such reported 

 apiaries and all others in the same locality, and if satisfied of the existence of 

 foul brood, or any other infectious disease, shall give to the owner or person having 

 charge of any such apiary full instructions as to the manner of treating them. With- 

 in a reasonable time after making the first examination, the inspector shall make 

 a second examination, and if the conditions of any of the colonies affected is such 



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