DISEASES OF BEES. 



185 



DISEASES OF BEES. 



the South, where tlie disease is much more 

 prevalent and destructive, destroying the 

 queen seems to have but little effect. 

 Spraying the combs with a solution of 

 salt and water, or of carbolic acid and 

 water, has been recommended; but these 

 do little or no good. One writer recom- 

 mends removing the diseased stock from its 

 stand, and putting in its place a strong 

 healthy one. The affected colony is then 

 removed to the stand formerly occupied by 

 the healthy bees. He reports that he tried 

 this in many cases, and found that an abso- 

 lute cure followed in every instance. The 

 rationale of the treatment seems to be that 

 the bees of the ordinary colony having bee- 

 paralysis are too much discouraged to re- 

 move the sick : as a consequence, the source 

 of infection— that is, the swollen shiny bees 

 —are allowed to craw^l through the hive at 

 will. But when the colonies are transposed, 

 the healthy vigorous bees of the sound stock 

 carry the diseased bees entirely away from 

 the hive. The sick and the dying being re- 

 moved, the colony recovers. 



Mr. O. O. Poppleton, of Stuart, Fla., has 

 had a large experience. One plan that he 

 uses is as follows: 



He sprinkles sulphur over the affected bees 

 and combs, but not until all the brood in the 

 diseased colony has been removed and put 

 into a strong healthy one ; for Mr. Popple- 

 ton says the sulphur kills all the unsealed 

 brood and eggs ; that no harm results in put- 

 ting the brood among healthy bees, as he 

 finds the source of the malady is not in the 

 brood or combs; for he has put combs from 

 paralytic colonies repeatedly into healthy 

 ones, and never (but once) did the disease 

 develop in any such colony, and that was a 

 year afterward. 



At first, says Mr. Poppleton, the disease 

 seems to get worse instead of better. The 

 colony will dwindle, but in two weeks there 

 will be a decided improvement, and finally 

 the colony will be cured and will stay cured. 

 In many cases, he thinks, it may be necessary 

 to repeat the application of the sulphur 

 about ten days after the first time. This 

 makes sure that every bee has received a 

 curative quantity of the sulphur, even if it 

 were not in the hive at the first dose.* 



While the foregoing has worked well, yet 

 because it is attended with a rapid reduction 

 of the strength of the colony so treated, and 

 because the disease has a tendency to run in 

 certain strains that are very susceptible to 

 it, Mr. Poppleton thinks that, in the long 



* Always spray the sulphur on in the evening. 



run, it may be better to use the following 

 plan: He forms as many nuclei from strong- 

 healthy stocks as there are sick colonies to 

 be treated. As soon as the nuclei have 

 young laying queens, he gives to each, as fast 

 as they can take care of them, one or two 

 frames of the oldest capped brood from eacli 

 of the paralytic colonies, and thereafter till 

 all the brood of such colonies is used up. 

 The diseased bees and queen he next de- 

 stroys with sulphur fumes, fumigating the 

 hives at the same time. 



Repeated tests have shown that paralysis 

 is never transmitted by the brood or combs, 

 but that it is carried by the dead or sick 

 bees. It is, therefore, important that, in 

 giving the combs to the nuclei, there be no 

 dead bees in the cells. 



If not convenient then to use the nucleus 

 plan, replace the old queen and use the 

 sulphur. 



FOUL BROOD* — AMEEICAK ANIJ 

 EV ROPE AN. 



Probably many a bee-keeper is annoyed 

 rather than otherwise that so much room is 

 taken up in bee-journals on the subject of 

 foul brood, all which matter he faithfully 

 skips, feeling that it has no interest for him. 

 But a day comes when something awakens 

 his suspicion. Then he wants to know the 

 symptoms. 



SYMPTOMS OF THE AMERICAN, OR 

 PvOPY, FOUL I5ROOD. 



The specimen shown next page is typical 

 of an advanced stage of the disease, because 

 it shows sunken and perforated capped cells, 

 and those uncapped with the dead larvae 

 lying on one side. While we usually expect 

 the larvae to die in the case of old fashioned 

 or American foul brood after sealing, yet 



* In referring- to the pi-incipal forms of brood 

 diseases, we have thought best to adopt the names 

 used hy the Bui-eau ot Entomology of the United 

 States government. Both the diseases, because 

 they are much alike in appearance and effects, are 

 designated as "foul" brood, and distinguished by 

 qualifying adjectives. The foul brood that has 

 been so long known in this country, as well as in 

 Europe, will be here designated as 'American foul 

 brood," although it is not of American origin. The 

 newer disease (black brood t, first identified in 

 Europe and later found in New York State, will be 

 designated as "European foul brood." Tlie old 

 name for this disease, ''black brood," is not descrip- 

 tive of tlie disease it is supposed to name, for the 

 brood affected is not black, although some shriveled 

 specimens may take on tliat color. But this is also 

 true of foul brood. Whether the selection of these 

 qualifying adjectives is wise we will not discuss; 

 and we therefore would refer the reader to Tech- 

 nical Series No. 14, Bacteria of the Apiary, and to 

 Circular No. 79, by Dr. E. F. Phillips, of the Bureau 

 of Entomology. Neither do we think it necessary 

 in a practical work of this kind to discuss the bac- 

 teriology of these diseases, inasmuch as there 

 seems to be a difference of opinion among scientific 

 men as to the real microbe that is responsible for 

 either. 



