610 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



AMERICAN FOUL BROOD. 



This disease is rather slow in its progress but very sure and 

 once a colony becomes infected its final death is certain unless 

 the bees are removed to a clean hive and the infected brood 

 destroyed. In the hands of the average bee keeper the McEvoy 

 treatment or some modification of it is best. This is known as 

 the shaking treatment. It is seldom advisable to attempt treat- 

 ment excepting during a honey flow as results are likely to prove 

 unsatisfactory. 



The treatment is as follows : 



In the evening after the bees have quit flying, brush or shake 

 all the bees from the combs into a clean hive containing frames 

 with foundation starters. 



Bury or burn the old combs at once, not the next day. 



Take great care that no honey, not even the smallest drop, from 

 the diseased colony be exposed to robbers, or the disease may be 

 carried back to the healthy colonies. 



A second shaking at the end of four days is frequently recom- 

 mended and sometimes necessary, but so large a percentage of 

 cases are successful with a single shaking during the honey flow 

 that it seems as well to recommend only one, with the caution 

 that the bee keeper watch very carefully for the appearance of 

 the disease among the shaken colonies and promptly treat any 

 that show symptoms of the return of foul brood. 



Thos. Chantry's method is to insert a dry extracting comb in 

 the center of the hive in which the bees are shaken. They will 

 proceed to store all honey carried with them in this comb which 

 can be removed at the end of twenty-four hours and a frame with 

 foundation inserted in its place. This seems to be equally ef- 

 fective as the second shaking and is much more economical. 

 Edw. G. Brown of Sargent's Bluff who has had much experience 

 in the treatment of foul brood reports this modification of the 

 McEvoy treatment as very successful with him. 



The object to be attained is to rid the bees of every trace of 

 the diseased honey before new brood appears in the hive and any 

 method that will accomplish this result is likely to succeed. 



When a number of colonies are to be shaken it is well to re- 

 place the frames of brood in the old hives and to pile one above 

 another on top of some diseased colony which may be reserved 

 for treatment for a few days until the brood is hatched and thus 

 save most of the healthy brood which may remain in all the hives. 

 This plan has been carried out very successfully in some apiaries. 



