REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 211 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



old combs. On the fourth day, in the evening, replace those combs containing the in- 

 fected honey with full sheets of fresh comb foundation, and the cure will thus be com- 

 plete. Ely this method of treatment, all the infected honey is removed before the full 

 sheets of foundation are used. 



When only a few cells are found with foul brood, after shaking off the bees for 

 treatment, two hives may be filled with the combs containing the brood; then place 

 these two hives on top of each other, as explained before, keeping them shaded from 

 the sun until most of the brood is hatched. Then, in the evening, shake the bees from 

 both hives into another single hive and give them frames with comb foundation 

 starters. Let them build comb for four days, as above said, after which, in the evening, 

 take out the new comb and give the bees comb foundation to work out to complete the 

 cure. If the diseased colonies are weak in bees, the bees of two, three or four should 

 be put together, so as to have a strong colony to start the cure v/lth, as it does not pay 

 to spend time over weak colonies. 



When tees are not gathering honey. — An infected apiary can be cured of foul brood 

 by removing the infected combs in the evenings and giving the bees frames with comb 

 foundation starters on. Then, also in the evenings, feed the bees plenty of sugar syi'up ; 

 they will draw out the foundation and store the infected honey which they took with 

 them from the old combs. On the fourth evening, replace the new 6ombs made out of 

 the starters by frames with full sheets of comb foundation, and feed plenty of sugar 

 syrup every evening until all the colonies are in first-class order. The sugar syrup 

 slaould be made of granulated sugar, using one pound of water to every two pounds of 

 sugar, and bringing it to a boil. 



Treatment after all honey gathering is over. — When the disease is discovered in a 

 few good colonies after the honey season is finished, the best plan is to leave them until 

 an evening in October. Then take every comb out of the diseased colonies, replacing 

 them by six combs of all-sealed or capped stores from sound colonies. Place a division 

 board on either side of these all-capped combs. These colonies will thus be in perfect 

 condition for wintering, and the disease will at the same time be stamped out; for, as 

 there are no empty cells, the bees must have kept the infected honey which they took 

 out of the old combs, until it was consumed, as they could not find a place in the all- 

 capped combs to put it. 



If there is a scarcity of all-capped combs from the sound colonies, as many as 

 are required can be secured by putting Miller feeders on sound colonies in the evenings 

 in September and feeding the bees all the sugar sjonip they can be made to take ; then, 

 in October, each of these fed colonies can spare the two outside combs, which will be 

 perfectly capped all over down to the bottom of the frames. These all-capped combs 

 will provide plenty of good stores to carry out this autumn imcthod of treatment. 



All the old infested brood combs which have been removed from the hives, must be 

 burned or made into wax, as well as all the combs made on the starters by the bees 

 during the four days of the treatment. 



As to the infected honey, I have always been opposed to having it treated and then 

 fed to bees, for fear that the treatment may not be thorough enough. My recommenda- 

 tion is to bury it in the ground, as well as all the refuse from the honey extracted. 

 This applies also, of course, to the honey stored up in the combs during the four days 

 of the treatment.— W. McEvoy. 



Treatment of the Hives and Frames. — In Mr. McEvoy's treatment of foul brood, 

 there appears to be a danger that the hives themselves in some of their parts might be 

 tainted with germs of the disease. We would, therefore, strongly recommend to disin- 

 fect the hives and the frames that have contained foul brood, by a thorough scalding. 

 This operation is very simple; and, in view of the great losses that have been occa- 

 sioned by foul brood, it is important to neglect no means to secure success in stamping 

 out the infection. 



John Fixter. 



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