200 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 10 



contained diseased larva are quickly and thoroughly prepared for the 

 incoming nectar. 



The actual operation is to put the queen in a hive with full sheets of 

 foundation, over this an excluder and the diseased combs over all. 



The activity of the bees in cleaning out European foulbrood during 

 a nectar flow from buckwheat has often been remarked. This has 

 been accounted for by the supposed presence of a large amount of 

 acid in buckwheat nectar. Acting on this theory some have fed a mild 

 acid to diseased bees and reported good results. 



Latham^ in 1915 did much to bring this into prominence although 

 Cushman^ suggested it in 1890. Latham's plan is to give the infected 

 colony a daily dose of lemonade. This is made of 10 ounces of sugar, 

 the juice of one lemon and one-half pint of water. 



Since it is an established fact that a honey flow (natural or artificial), 

 often causes European foulbrood to disappear, the effectiveness of the 

 lemon juice has been questioned and it has been suggested that a daily 

 feed of syrup would be equally effective. 



To avoid the trouble of making the lemonade one beekeeper has 

 used an ounce of citric acid to a gallon of syrup and claims good results. 

 Further testing is needed to prove the value of the acid treatment. 



Exception has been taken to recommending the Alexander plan to 

 all persons having bees, it being considered practical for advanced 

 beekeepers only. There is some ground for this objection, but it is 

 believed that anyone with sufficient skill and knowledge of bee- 

 keeping to successfully treat a colony with European foulbrood by the 

 shaking plan wiU be equally successful with the dequeening method. 

 Further, since less work is involved it is often easier to get the bee- 

 keeper to do the work. 



On the other hand, it must be admitted that a host of bee-owners 

 will fail with either treatment and the only remedy which is effective 

 in their hands is the destruction of the colony. 



PROBLEMS OF BEE INSPECTION 



By Fr.\nk C. Pellett, Allanlic, Iowa 



I must confess that I have modified my views concerning bee in- 

 spection each year of the five that I have served as state inspector of 

 apiaries of Iowa. New difficulties have presented themselves each 

 season, while some of the former ones have become simplified. I have 

 at last concluded that we have been working along wrong lines and 



1 Latham, Allen, 1915, Gleanings in Bee Culture. 



^ Cushman, Samuel, 1890, Bulletin Xo. 9, Rhode Island Experiment Station. 



