December 10, 1868. J 



JOURNAL OF HOBTIOULTUliB AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



453 



This question had been proposed by Baron Ton Berlepsch, 

 and, owing probably to his absence, the discussion assumed 

 a somewhat desultory character. The substance, however, was 

 much as follows — fir. Prcuss, a scientific microscopist of some 

 authority, and an experienced beo-keopor, and Professor Leuok- 

 art, unhesitatingly attribute the worst kind of foul brood to 

 the presence of a microscopic fungus, similar, probably, to the 

 one affecting the silkworm in North Italy. It was also remarked 

 that foul brood had much increased since the introduction of 

 the Italian bee. The fungoid theory was also supported by 

 some of the non-scioutific bee-masters present, as affording a 

 satisfactory explanation of many of the details connected with 

 foul brood. 



Professor Leuckart thought it probable that the eggs (but, of 

 course, only in the worst cases) contained already the germs of 

 the disease, an opinion which was opposed by those who 

 alleged cases where they had saved the queens of condemned 

 stocks, which had afterwards always produced a healthy suc- 

 cession. 



Upon the question how to deal with foul brood, the opinion 

 was almost general, that the stocks, some said the hives too, 

 must be destroyed. Others, again, and amongst them no mean 

 authorities, maintained that they had cured foul brood by a 

 process recommended by the Rev. Mr. Schieberle, of Moravia, 

 at the meeting of German bee-masters held at Briinn, in 

 September, 18ti.5.» It seemed also probable, that in many cases 

 foul brood arose from feeding bees with the impure honey im- 

 ported from Havanna and other places. The next question on 

 the programme was — 



"Whether foul brood is a result of using hives with move- 

 able combs, and not rather of imprudence when giving them 

 drink in winter?" Unfortunately Mr. Kleine, whose question 

 this was, was detained at home by domestic affliction ; but in 

 his stead Mr. Dzierzon remarked, that though, doubtless, in 

 the hands of inexperienced and incompetent bee-keepers, the 

 system of moveable combs had its dangers, yet, as a matter of 

 fact, it was the easiest, if not the only means of discovering 

 foul broud and overcoming it. He could not understand the 

 meaning of the second half of the question, and had no idea 

 what could be'passing in Mr. Kleine's mind to make him connect 

 foul brood with giving bees drink in winter. 



Dr. Busch remarked that, possibly Mr. Kleine had formed 

 his opinion from some scientific articles which had appeared 

 in the Hanoverian Bee Journal of which he is the editor. A 

 Mr. Lambrecht had there made known the results of various 

 chemical investigations, which had induced him to attribute 

 foul brood to the bees feeding upon pollen which had been 

 wetted and in consequence had fermented. 



The next question discussed concerned some details in the 

 construction of hives (first introduced by Dzierzon), with move- 

 able combs, and since used with but slight modifications 

 throughout Germany. AVe may pass this by as having little 

 interest for English bee-keepers. 



After this followed the question : — " Whether there are 

 localities so absolutely unfitted for keeping bees, that in spite 

 of all the experience and pains of the bee-master, the best 

 stocks, if moved thither, die off in a short time ?" 



The only speaker to this question proved that bee-keeping 

 might be impossible in some localities owing to neighbours 

 poisoning the bees. After keeping bees successfully for forty 

 years, he had, owing to the diabolical bebavionr of a neighbour- 

 ing manufacturer, lost in four years the whole of his bees, 

 above .£100 in value. 



This led naturally to the question next in order, only in- 

 teresting to Germany, as to the desirability of some laws as to 

 bee-keeping. 



After this Mr. Dzierzon spoke to one of his own suggesting 

 — let, "At what age do young bees first leave the hive and first 

 gather honey ? 2nd, Would it be advisable, without reference 

 to wintering, to hinder the breeding of bees which cannot 

 gather any honey in the current season ?" 



Mr. Dzierzon remarked, that he had been induced to suggest 

 this question in consequence of statements in Baron von 

 Berlepsch's new edition of his bee book, in which it is stated 

 that young bees begin first to gather honey in about thirty-five 

 days, and that, consequently, it is advisable to prevent the in- 

 crease of brood from about thirty- five days before the end of 

 the honey season. Dzierzon beUeves that a young bee may 

 ieave the hive when three days old, or remain at home for as 



• Wo shall (rive a description of Mr. Schieberle's mode of curiog foul 

 brood in an early number. — Eds, J, of H. 



many months, so that no precise number of days can be given. 

 If there are plenty of workers, young bees would remain longer 

 at homo ; if there were few old bees, as when a hive has been 

 moved, the young bees would gather sooner. This he could 

 assert from experience. And the second suggestion was 

 grounded upon a mistake, for the activity of bees depends 

 very much upon the amount of brood. If, therefore, for the 

 last thirty-five days they had but little or no brood, they woald 

 gather comparatively less honey. 



Mr. Vogel had seen young bees, after careful observation, 

 come out of their hives when six or seven days old, but only in 

 isolated cases. As a rule the eighth or ninth day would be the 

 earliest, and dependent also upon circumstances of tempera- 

 ture, wind, strength of the stock, &c. Young bees do not 

 gather honey till sixteen days old, as is proved by the fact that 

 they starve under that age if left in a hive without honey or 

 older workers. He agrees, therefore, on the whole with von Ber- 

 lepsch as regards the first part of the question. As regards 

 the second half, Dzierzon has not understood von Berlepsch, 

 who does not say that one should not suffer any brood after a 

 certain time, but that one should not suffer unnecessary brood, 

 a mistake often made by beginners. And von Berlepsch's re- 

 marks are intended for places with very short honey harvests. 



Mr. Kijhler agreed with the last si)enker, and remarked in 

 addition, that the question how old the bee is when she first 

 leaves the hive had a very important bearing upon the question 

 of uniting weak stocks for the winter, an operation which he 

 thought was usually undertaken too late in the year. It should 

 be done before, and not after, the end of the honey harvest. 



The next question on the list was " Whether it be possible 

 to hinder drone brood in hives with moveable combs without 

 having recourse to the old method of cutting out drone combs ?" 



Mr. Dathe was of opinion that it was better not to let the bees 

 build drone cells, by filling up any empty space in the breeding 

 room of the hive with worker comb so soon as the bees begin 

 drone cells. To suffer bees to build drone combs, and then to 

 cut them out involves a great waste of honey, and a great loss 

 of time for the bees, who build drone cells over and over 

 again. By filling up the gaps, we should probably have young 

 bees in the same space where, but for this, we should still be 

 cutting out drone comb. Further, the bee-keeper saves himself 

 the time and trouble he would otherwise necessarily have to 

 devote to examining his hives, and cutting out the drone cells. 

 Of course in the space devoted to honey the bees may build as 

 much drone comb as they please. The speaker had for eight years 

 aHowed no drone brood where he did not wish it, and this with- 

 out any cutting-out. For this purpo.^ie it is necessary, 1, That 

 there should be a division betweeu the brood room and honey 

 room, so long as the bees wish to build drone cells. 2, The 

 bees must not be allowed to build in the breeding space after 

 they cease to build worker cells. 3, In spite of all care, some 

 drone cells are sometimes built in the breeding space. These 

 should be at once removed to the honey division, using in fact 

 for this part of the hive all the drone cells one can bring 

 together. 



The speaker then added. 1, That worker comb should never 

 be destroyed, but either kept for feeding the bees if necessary, 

 or, 2, Emptied by means of the centrifugal machine, and the 

 empty comb used again. 3, Every means possible should be 

 employed to secure a good store of worker comb frem artificial 

 swarms, late swarms, &q., and others which cannot be wintered. 

 i. We can compel any hive to build worker comb by reducing 

 it to the condition of a swarm — i.e., by taking out nearly all the 

 combs. 5, We may takeout all perfect combs from a hive with 

 a young queen, the beea will then build worker cells. 6, and 

 lastly, When compelled we may use artificial comb foundations. 

 These conclusions were supported by Messrs. Hopf and Huber ; 

 the latter also suggested that it would often be a good plan to 

 remove the old queen with the drone combs in order that the 

 bees having then a young queen might build worker cells, but 

 it should not be forgotten that till the young queen is ready to 

 lay, only drone cells would be built if the bees were allowed 

 access to empty breeding space. 



The proceedings of the first day were then concluded with a 

 few words from the President, and the appointment of judges 

 for articles exhibited. 



NEW AND OLD BOOKS. 



Peter Parley's Ammal, 18G9. London: Ben. George. 

 Wk are not about to lecture upon the wondrous alteration 

 for the better that has occurred within the last quarter of a 



