■'36 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[9 Dec, 1907 



back corner of the floor of the hive and replaced with a fresh one when 

 it has disappeared. When carbolic acid and tar are used, equal quantities 

 of the acid and Stockholm tar (wood tar) are mixed and placed in a small 

 shallow tin covered with a piece of woollen cloth and put under the frames 

 at the back of the hive. Both these, as well as other remedies of a like 

 nature have however the disadvantage that they taint the honey (for the 

 time being at any rate), and surplus honey from colonies treated could not 

 well be used for human consumption. 



The use of chemicals in the treatment or prevention of foul brood 

 involves such a lot of labour and patient attention that in commercial bee- 

 keeping it is almost impracticable. I have not used any drugs for many 

 vears, but have dealt with the outbreaks that occur occasionally by elimina- 

 tion, generally known as the starvation method. 



In conclusion I should like to point out the most common causes of 

 infection and the spread of foul brood. There is no doubt whatever, that 

 box-hive men, bee hunters and careless or ignorant frame-hive men are 

 responsible for most of the losses brought about by this disease. It is a 

 common practice when box hives are being robbed to leave the dark comb 

 and refuse about or to purposely put it outside for the bees to clean up 

 to save whatever honev may be in it. Now if one of the hives robbed con- 

 tains foul brood it will probably be spread to all the hives which share 

 in cleaning up ; but that is not all, habits of robbing are engendered in 

 the bees and when the supply offered becomes exhausted they will look 

 round for weak colonies to attack. They will find these on a neighbouring 

 farm or in trees in the bush and as diseased colonies become weak and 

 demoralized they are raided and disease carried home. Bee hunters also 

 usually leave refuse about and thus spread infection. Some of the bar 

 frame hive bee-keepers are however by no means blameless ; diseased hives, 

 in which all the bees have succumbed are left standing to be cleaned up by 

 other bees. , Brood combs possibly containing disease, are extracted and 

 indiscriminately distributed in the apiarv and bees allowed access to honey 

 and refuse causing robbing, stinging, general demoralization, and the 

 spread of foul brood. In many countries special laws have been enacted 

 to deal wnth foul brood, making practices such as those enumerated liable 

 to penalties. In Victoria we have no' such law and an apiarist settling in 

 a new locality can do nothing better than deal with the disease as it 

 breaks out in his apiary until, after some years, the sources of infection 

 which surround him become exhausted by the process of the diseased stocks 

 in his neighbourhood being robbed bv his bees, the disease brought home 

 and dealt with by him in his own apiary. 



