ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



Si 



Mr. Dadant — They were hybrid 

 queens. I would like to hear from any 

 ine else — if any one has tried intro- 

 ducing European Foul Broody queens 

 to a colony, and if it would in each 

 case give the disease to the colony. 



A Member — Take an Italian queen, 

 it will not carry it, but a hybrid or 

 black queen is almost sure to. 



Mr. Dadant — We have all colonies 

 Italian now except those three. The 

 other one we gave the European Foul 

 Broody queen to was queenless at the 

 beginning of the season and very weak 

 the entire season; there was only one 

 case in which the Italian colony took 

 the disease; we finally killed that 

 Italian queen, and it was not a normal 

 colony by any means; it was not fairly 

 strong, and the queen did not seem to 

 be a good queen; her laying power was 

 not good, and after caging her twice 

 we killed her and re-queened; that is 

 the only case in which the Italian 

 queen did not throw off the disease 

 in spite of having no honey crop ex- 

 cept way along in September. 

 Our re-queening methods: 

 We tried one method — There was a 

 little black queen that refused to be 

 found after several trials, so we shook 

 the entire colony off on the board in 

 front, of the hive and looked for her 

 high and low and could not find her at 

 all. She was there; there were plenty 

 ■ of eggs. 



Mr. Stone — Did you make the bees 

 go through the queen excluder? 



Mr. Dadant — No, we didn't try that; 

 I don't believe that would have caught 

 her. We dropped an Italian queen on 

 that board and had her go in with the 

 black bees. We did it more as a joke, 

 and then marked it on the back of the 

 hive for the next man that would come 

 around that apiary. We marked: 

 "Kill her; find her first." 



The next time he came round he 

 found the Italian queen had been ac- 

 cepted and they here booming right 

 along. That is re-queening without de- 

 queening. 



There are a few points in summariz- 

 ing this experience that are worth 

 while taking note of: 



Ten cases where three frames of 

 European Foul Brood were given to 

 strong colonies and did not suffer as a 

 consequence. 



Three cases at this apiary and one 

 at another apiary where European Foul 

 Broody queen, introduced by the cage 



method to healthy colonies, immedi- 

 ately transmitted the disease. 



The preponderance of Italian blood 

 of those which were untouched and 

 cured themselves or overcame the dis- 

 ease. 



The apparent success of the cure 

 without almost any honey crop; condi- 

 tions could not have been worse. 



Mr. Heinzel — In giving these dis- 

 eased colonies three frames of healthy 

 brood, did you cage the queens with 

 them when you gave them the brood? 



Mr. Dadant — We caged the queens. 

 We took three frames of diseased 

 brood, giving them three frames of 

 healthy brood. 



Pres. Baxter — You have heard Mr. 

 Dadant's experience with European 

 Foul Brood, are there any remarks? 



Mr. Dadant — Dr. Phillips, have you 

 tried this method? 

 Dr. Phillips — No. 



Mr. Bowen — Speaking about hunting 

 for the queen; we usually use the sift- 

 ing process for getting a queen. I had 

 some experience with one of my hives, 

 where we put the bees through the 

 sifter, and found no queen; finally we 

 discovered the thing had gone through 

 the queen excluder like any other bee; 

 we seldom ever fail to find the queen, 

 using the sifter — Take the queen ex- 

 cluder; put on bottom of box about 

 the size of the hive, that fits the frame; 

 set that off one side of hive; commence 

 to lift the frames out and put them 

 into this box; if we don't find the 

 queen in looking the frames over, when 

 we take them out we shake the bees 

 off or brush them off into this sifter, 

 as we call it; set the frames back into 

 the hive; then, after we get the bees 

 into the sifter and the frames in the 

 hive, we set the sifter on top of the 

 hive and smoke them out and they 

 run down into the brood frame; every- 

 thing goes through the sifter excepting 

 the queens and drones. 



Pres. Baxter — We want to refer back 

 to the "Short Cuts"; there is a point 

 there in regard to re -queening. Will 

 you please read that, Mr. Moore? we 

 would like to have that point discussed. 

 Mr.' Moore — Mr. France, in "Short 

 Cuts", says: 



"(2) Young Italian queens, home 

 grown or from best breeders, means 

 less swarming, much stronger swarms, 

 more honey, more late hatched bees for 

 winter, more early spring brood, and, 



