DISEASES OF BEES. 



189 



Mr. McEvoy does not recommend treuting 

 the hive ; but reports have been received by 

 the publishers showing that the disease has 

 returned in some instances where the liive 

 liad not been disinfected. It is advised, 

 therefore, that one and all disinfect the 

 hives as well as the combs. While they may 

 be immersed in boiling water, yet completely 

 disinfecting them would possibly require a 

 boiling of two hours, as the spores of these 

 brood diseases have been shown to be able 

 to resist in some cases atemperatureof 212° 

 for two and a half hours, and still survive. 



A far better plan, and one much simpler 

 to apply, is to put a handful or two of dry 

 straw in the empty hive that contained the 

 affected colony, and touch a match to it. 

 With a stick poke the straw around, so that 

 every portion of the hive will be scorched or 

 blackened by the flame. It is not neces- 

 sary to char deep; for if the wood be burned 

 to a light brown or black, the progress of the 

 disease will be arrested. The flame can be 

 quenched by throwing in a dipperful of 

 water. Such a hive will be completely dis- 

 infected, and may be used again with entire 

 safety. It should be noted, however, that 

 the alighting-board of the hive, as well as 

 the entrance itself, should be charred 

 slightly. Where straw is not available a 

 gill or two of kerosene may be thrown inside 

 the hive and ignited. But straw is much 

 cheaper, and when the job is df.ne it leaves 

 no odor clinging to the hive. 



What shall be done with the frames and 

 the combs V If there is only one colony in 

 the yard that is affected, it is advised to 

 burn them at m^^iJ- combs, frames, brood, 

 and all. In order to do this, a small bonfire 

 should be made of old brush; then when the 

 tire is at its height throw on the combs one 

 by one. The ashes should afterward be 

 raked up and buried, for sometimes the wax 

 will melt and run down among the wood 

 ashes, without coming in contact with the 

 flame itself. Tlie ashes may be rendered 

 safe, however, without burying if they be 

 put over live coals and reburned. 



In case the disease gets a start through the 

 yard it will be rather wasteful to burn the 

 combs, and it is, therefore, advised to melt 

 them up at night in a vat of boiling water, 

 after extracting any honey they may con- 

 tain. In this latter operation be careful not 

 to spill any honey on the floor, nor let any 

 come in contact with the tools or clothing 

 where the bees can get at it the following 

 day. Every thing about the room in which 

 the wax is melted must be cleaned up, and 



DISEASES OF BEES. 



the old slumgum that may be left sliould be 

 buried. Of course the process of rendering 

 would ordinarily disinfect it; yet as there 

 might be some carelessness in melting tn 

 reader is advised to take the safer course 

 and bury the refuse. Neither is it advised to 

 put any diseased or supposed-to-be diseased 

 combs in a sun or solar wax-extractor. Too 

 many of these machines are not bee-tight 

 \'ery often they leak, allowing either honey 

 or wax, or both, to run out on the ground 

 It IS doubtful whether the sun heat alone 

 would be suflScient to bring about a thorough 

 disinfection of the affected honey or wax 

 Nothing short of a kettle of boiling water a 

 steam or hot-water wax-press, or boiling 

 water and an open hand-press should be 

 used for handling these old combs The 

 handle of the screw, if it be of iron, should 

 be exposed to a flame from the stove after 

 the work IS done. Any thing else that 

 might become contaminated during the pro- 

 cess of extracting and melting of combs 

 should be likewise disinfected. The ex- 

 tractor itself should be thoroughly scalded 

 out with boiling water-not once but several 

 times; and do not put this off one single day. 



In case that foul brood breaks out in the 

 yard, and continues to break out from time 

 to time, the only thing that remains then 

 will be to treat the whole apiary, whether 

 diseased or not. As soon as brood hatches 

 out of healthy combs, extract the honey and 

 melt them up. The wax thus secured if 

 taken out with a modern wax-press will 

 pay for the foundation put back into the 

 frames. Continue shaking every colony on 

 frames of foundation as fast as brood 

 hatches out. If in case of healthy colonies 

 the disease sliows up in only a mild form one 

 set only of frames and foundation need be 

 given. In that case, use full sheets always. 

 A very good time to recomb the bees will 

 be during swarming season. It will then be 

 almost or quite time to practice "shook" 

 swarming, as advised in the text-books. All 

 combs as fast as extracted should be melted 

 up and their place taken by frames of foun- 

 dation. While the old frames may be used 

 over again after boiling or suljjecting them 

 to the flame of a bonfire, many advise the 

 purchase of new frames that will probably 

 be stronger and better than the old things 

 that were formerly in the hives. It prob- 

 ably would not be necessary to char out or 

 burn out the old hives where the whole 

 apiary is treated; but if one desires to be on 

 the safe side he would do well to treat hives 

 as well as combs. 



