16 TREATMENT OF BEE DISEASES. 
disease will rarely reappear. If it should, a repetition of the treat- 
ment will be necessary. 
Saving the healthy brood.—The old combs are now quickly removed. 
If several colonies are being treated at one time it may pay to stack 
several hive bodies containing contaminated combs over a weak 
diseased colony to allow most of the healthy brood to emerge, thereby 
strengthening the weak colony. After 10 or 12 days this colony is 
treated in turn and all the combs rendered into wax. If only one 
or two colonies in a large apiary are heing treated it will not pay to 
do this. 
Saving the wax.—Any but a very small apiary should have in- 
cluded in its equipment a wax press for removing wax from old 
combs. After the contaminated frames are taken to the honey house 
the combs should be kept carefully 
covered, so that no bees can reach 
them until the wax can be ren- 
dered. This should not be de- 
layed very long or the combs may 
be ruined by wax moths. The 
slumgum or refuse remaining 
after the wax is removed should 
be burned. Contaminated combs 
should not be put into a solar wax 
extractor fer fear of spreading the 
disease. The wax from contami- 
nated combs may safely be used 
for the manufacture of comb 
foundation. 
Cleaning the hive—The hive 
which has contained the diseased 
colony should be thoroughly 
cleaned of all wax and honey, and it is desirable that it be care-— 
fully disinfected by burning out the inside with a gasoline blue- 
flame torch (fig. 7). If this piece of apparatus is not available 
several hive bodies may be piled together on a hive bottom and 
some gasoline or kerosene poured on the sides and on some straw 
or excelsior at the bottom. This is then ignited and after burn- 
ing for a few seconds a close-fitting hive cover is placed on top 
of the pile to extinguish the flames. The inside of the hive bodies 
should be charred to a light brown. The careful cleaning and dis- 
infection of frames always costs considerably more in labor than 
new frames would cost, but these also may be carefully cleaned and 
used again. Frames may be cleaned by boiling in water for about 
half an hour, but this frequently causes them to warp badly. The 
disinfection of hives and frames with chemicals is not recommended, 
as the ordinary strengths used are valueless for the purpose. 
442 
Fic. 7.—Gasoline torch. (Original.) 
