fun BEE-KEEPEftS* REVIEW. 



4* 



sunken, perforated and ragged cap 

 jiiiiiis. and in many of those not cap- 

 IhhI at all, we see larvae of a brown- 

 ish color of various shades from slight- 

 ly yellow sometimes to the prevailing 

 line of a dark dirty brown. These are 

 all dead. Did they die of foul brood? 

 A\'e can surely tell by trying them 

 with our toothpicks. We open some 

 of the sunken and the perforated cells 

 and insert the sharp end of the tooth- 

 j)ic'k into the remains of the larvae the 

 different cells contain. The skin of 

 each one goes to pieces with a slight 

 touch, and a slight turn converts it 

 into a homogeneous glue-like mass of 

 the color of coffee when prepared with 

 milk for drinking; and on withdraw- 

 ing the toothpick the matter is drawn 

 out in a string a half inch, more or 

 less. It is foul brood, and the tooth- 

 pick is the supreme test. There is no 

 foul brood without viscidity and no 

 viscidity without foul brood. 



THE NECESSITY FOR CAUTION WHEN 

 EXAMINING INFECTED COLONIES. 



The toothpick, as used, we must dis- 

 pose of with care to prevent the con- 

 tamination of healthy bees. We may 

 burn them iu Ihe smoker; and it is an 

 additional safeguard to have always 

 ar hand a dish containing a weak solu- 

 tion of carbolic acid in which to wash 

 1(>(j1s and hands before manipulating 

 a colony that may prove to be healthy. 



Now we must go and examine the 

 colony but slightly affected, for the 

 detection of the disease in such a one 

 rcrjuires some patience and care. On 

 opening the hive, if we liave a "good 

 nose," we may, on applying it to the 

 top of the combs just over the center 

 of the brood-nest, possibly distinguish 

 sliu'htly the characteristic odor of foul 

 brood, but very likely we may not be 

 alile to do so. We then remove combs 

 from the center of the brood-nest. On 

 a cursory view everything looks pros- 



perous—the colony is strong, the brood 

 is compact and abundant, and of a 

 general normal appearance, and the 

 bees are working energetically. But 

 if we look carefully we may see here 

 and there a cell the capping of which 

 has lost its lively appearance. It is 

 a little too dark, and is slightly flat- 

 tened. We mu^t have recourse to our 

 toothpick. One breaks the suspicious 

 capping. Yes, the larva is dead and 

 discolored. The toothpick touches it 

 with a slight turn and is withdrawn, 

 bringing the stringy tell-tale matter 

 with it. Other similar cells are found. 

 There is no question but that it is 

 foul brood. 



HOW TO PREVENT THE DISSEMINATION 

 OF THE DISEASE. 



Now that it is established that foul 

 brood has a foothold in the apiary we 

 must make every effort to prevent its 

 farther dissemination. It might be 

 asked, why not do that by curing all 

 the diseased colonies? The reply is 

 that the periods of time when that 

 can be done quickly and safely are 

 limited, both in number and extent. 

 The temperature must be warm 

 enough for comb building, and secur- 

 ity against robber bees must be had 

 for the necessary operations, so that a 

 time of waiting of greater or less 

 length is pretty sure to intervene, 

 hence the necessity for taking precau- 

 tionary measures. And first, and 

 most important, is the guarding 

 against I'obbing. We must make a 

 weak colony secure against the possi- 

 bility of being attacked. The weak 

 colonies are the ones by far the most 

 likely to be diseased, so we will make 

 sure not only that the entrances are 

 small enough for successful defence, 

 but also that the bees have sufficient 

 spirit to make the defence. We will 

 sacrifice, without hesitation, any in- 

 fected colony that will not fight. 



