European Foul-bhood Bee Disease. 24i) 



colonies have been able to remove most of the disease during the 

 previous summer and there has been left only a little ot the 

 infecting material. 



The bees are able under suitable conditions of colony strength 

 and resistance to clean the cells so thoroughly that when future 

 larvae are reared in these cells the disease is not contracted. 



The method of spread of the disease is not well known, 

 although there is some evidence that the infection is carried 

 chiefl}' hy nurse bees. It has been observed that under some 

 circumstances it may be transmitted through feeding, but the 

 experience of bee-keepers indicates that contaminated honey is 

 not the common means of carrying the disease. It is well known 

 tliat honey from infected colonies may be given to healthy 

 colonies with entire safety, provided the healthy colonies are in 

 such condition that they are able to resist the disease. It is 

 therefore not necessary to disinfect the honey from colonies 

 having European foul-brood, as is the case with that from 

 colonies suffering from American foul-brood. 



It has not been found necessary to disinfect hives, combs, 

 or frames from diseased colonies. This does not indicate that 

 the germ causing the disease is absent from such material, but 

 that if present it does not do any damage. 



Strength of colony is fully as important as resistant stock. 

 Unfortunately too many bee-keepers fail to provide conditions 

 necessary to the bees in order that the colonies may be at the 

 proper strength in time to combat European loul-brood success- 

 fully. It is good bee-keeping to have all colonies strong, and 

 nothing leads to large honey crops as does this factor, yet 

 throughout the country there are thousands of bee-keepers who 

 annually fail to get half the crop through failure to have strong 

 colonies at the right time. When the honey-flow comes early in 

 the season, as is the case throughout most of the United States, 

 it is important that every colony be at maximum strength early 

 in the spring. Since European foul-brood appears in the spring 

 and early summer good bee-keeping practice again coincides with 

 the requirements for preventing the ravages of this disease. 



One difficulty arises from the fact that there is no standard 

 for strength of colony, and what one bee-keeper considers a 

 strong colony may be considered weak by another and better 

 bee-keeper. At the opening of the honey-flow every colony 

 from which a full crop is to be expected should be strong enough 

 to have ten full combs of Langstroth size filled with brood. Of 

 course this brood may be in a larger number ni combs, since the 

 bees usually store some honey at the tc" of each comb, but it 

 is easy to estimate the brood in terms of full combs. If, now, 

 we accept the same standard for the desired strength of colony 

 for the purpose of resisting European foul-brood, we will have a 

 condition under which (assuming resistant stock) this disease will 

 never get a stait in any colony in the apiary. It is, of course, 

 recognized that such a standard is seldom realized before or at 

 the beginning of the honey-flow, and this fact is the reason for 

 the loss of so much honey as well as the full explanation of the 

 ravages of European foul-brood in so many places. It is 



