June 30, 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



455 



The season has very much to do with the progress of 

 the disease. The season and all outside influences have 

 much to do with the success or failure in curing black brood. 

 The McEvoy treatment for foul brood is perhaps as good a 

 rule as can be given, in so few words, for curing what we 

 call black brood, as well as foul brood. However, circum- 

 stances and conditions are such that I, as a bee-inspector, 

 am obliged to decide on some special work or treatment for 

 an apiary after inspection. I can not give a fixed rule that 

 would best apply to all colonies and apiaries in different 

 localities, especially in localities where apiaries are more or 

 less diseased. I always have the apiarist go with me and 

 help do the work while I am inspecting his bees, if possible. 

 After inspection, if the disease is found to exist, then I con- 

 sider the man as to his ability, disposi/iou, and how he is 

 circumstanced to do' the work required. Then I advise with 

 him, and make the best use of him that I possibly can to 

 eradicate the disease and make his apiary safe, at the same 

 time. I consider his economy in doing the work. 



Bees that are badly diseased with black brood, and have 

 become very weak before the honey-flow begins, would bet- 

 ter be destroyed. Bees that become diseased with black 

 brood so that the old bees become sick and dumpish, should 

 be destroyed ; they can't be cured. 



The best time to cure colonies affected with black brood 

 is during a good honey-flow, when it has come to stay. 

 After the bees have had a few days to gather some new 

 honey and put it in their old combs, then shake the bees off 

 their combs and put frames filled with comb foundation in 

 their place ; new or disinfected hives preferred. Once 

 shaking will then generally cure, if the live bees or queen 

 are not diseased. 



Black brood is more radical in a new territory than after 

 it has been there for a year or two. Apiarists that are not 

 used to treating bees for black brood should attempt to treat 

 but 3. few colonies at a time, until they get experience, espe- 

 cially by shaking bees off on frames of foundation. There 

 is a method of dequeening a colony for 21 days, and then 

 giving them a new. choice Italian queen, which, if done at 

 the right time, will help to control swarming, and very 

 much improve the condition of bees that are strong enough 

 to swarm, but are more or less affected with black brood. 

 This will very often effect a cure the first season without 

 diminishing a crop of comb honey. Repeat the work again 

 the next season, and the apiary will improve every year, if 

 you give the colonies better queens. Weed out and destroy 

 all weak, run-down colonies caused by black brood every 

 fall and spring. It pays best to do so. Make increase from 

 healthy stock. 



With natural swarming, the disease sometimes follows 

 the swarm, and sometimes the young swarms will not be 

 affected. When there is abundance of new honey just 

 gathered in the hive, the swarm will go out laden with 

 honey which is fresh, and not likely to be diseased. The 

 queen and bees are not likely to be affected, only when 

 found in run-down colonies. 



There is very much to be said on this subject, but I 

 must bring this to a close I may now be misunderstood, 

 and possibly it would have been better had I said nothing 

 on this sublect. 



FORM.\LDEHYDE TREATMENT OF DISEASED BROOD. 



It may be well to bring out a few thoughts on the sub- 

 ject of formaldehyde gas as a treatment for disinfecting 

 diseased brood in combs, its effect on the brood, and also on 

 live bees With what experience I have had with it, it has 

 proved to be both success and failure. I have had quite a 

 great deal of experience with the use of. formaldehyde gas 

 in disinfecting brood-combs with very great results. How- 

 ever, much depends upon the condition of the combs, and 

 how they have been previouly prepared. I would not as 

 yet recommend using brood-combs promiscuously through 

 an apiary that had any of the dried-down matter or scales 

 caused by diseased brood, that can be seen with the naked 

 eye. I have experimented some by trying to disinfect a 

 diseased colony of bees by running the bees through a small 

 rubber hose directly into the bee-entrance of the hive, mak- 

 ing all other places of the hive tight to keep the gas from 

 escaping. I have tried 50 or more colonies in this way. It 

 is surprising how much gas the bees can endure and live. 

 They will stand the gas for four or five minutes before they 

 will begin to drop while treating in this way. I close the 

 entrance of the hive with a cloth or handful of grass to 

 keep the gas from escaping. After about two minutes I re- 

 move the cloth to let in a little fresh air at the bottom of the 

 hive, and also look and see if the bees begin to drop near 

 the entrance. Then I close up the hive again and keep the 



gas running in for about five minutes, then remove the cloth. 

 Do this at any time when the bees begin to drop and run 

 out over the grass in front of the hive. This treatment 

 will destroy all of the uncapped brood in the hive. The 

 bees will carry out the dead brood and polish up the combs. 

 The queen will very soon fill the comb with eggs, and for 

 a while the condition will look favorable, but after a little 

 the disease will begin to show up in a mild way. 



My first few trials with formaldehyde gas were a com- 

 plete success. I took some of the worst cases of diseased 

 brood that I could find, and after disinfecting them I went 

 to strong, healthy colonies of Italian bees, and took out 

 three frames per hive and put in their place three frames of 

 the disinfected combs. These combs were soon cleaned up 

 and filled with good brood. After this I had several colo- 

 nies treated, and new swarms hived on the combs, and all 

 went well. The following spring those colonies were in 

 fine condition. Last season I had swarms put on some 

 combs that were disinfected the previous season, and all 

 went well. The past season has not been so favorable with 

 disinfected combs that were filled with diseased brood. For 

 a while the brood in such disinfected combs would appear 

 good, but later I could see the disease again in a mild form 

 advancing. What the cause may have been for both suc- 

 cess and failure I can not say. Possibly it may be in the 

 strength of the formaldehyde. It may have been because 

 with my first and successful treatment the combs were put 

 in a small box and treated for a half hour. Perhaps the 

 heat and steam may have softened up things in general, so 

 that the gas had a better chance to do its work. / donH 

 know. 



So much for what it is worth. Any one who has had 

 experience with formaldehyde in disinfecting badly diseased 

 brood-combs, I would be pleased to hear from them. I ex- 

 pected to say but a few words when I commenced, but I did 

 not know where to stop. Pardon me for using so much val- 

 uable time. N. D. WEST. 



Mr. Stewart — In the fall, after the breeding is done, re- 

 move diseased combs and give the bees healthy combs. 

 This cures them. Even if they should carry some honey 

 with them they would eat it all before next brood-rearing. 

 (Concluded ne.^t week.) 



[ Our Bec-Heepin§ Sisters | 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 



Death of Mrs. Harrison. 



The news of the death of Mrs. Lucinda Harrison comes 

 as a shock to those of us who knew her. She was a woman 

 of ability who did her own thinking, an accomplished bee- 

 keeper, a vigorous writer, and above all a good woman. 

 Green be her memory. 



Keeping" Queens Received by Mall. 



When a queen arrives by mail before the bee-keeper is 

 ready for her, what is the best procedure ? Iowa. 



In warm weather she can remain in the cage in the house 

 a number of days without being chilled, until you are read)' 

 for her, or she can be put in any hive to be taken care of, if 

 you first see that the cage is fixed so that the bees can not 

 eat through the candy to get to her, perhaps fastening a 

 a piece of tin over the candy. 



Hatching' Eggs Over Bees. 



If chickens can be successfully hatched from eggs 

 placed over a colony of bees, a good many of the sisters 

 would no doubt like to know more about it. It seems that 

 Mr. Hutchinson, editor of the Bee-Keepers' Review, has 

 been making some experiments in that line. He says : 



" Hatching eggs over a hive of bees has been reported 

 occasionally, but there always seems to be some sort of 

 vaguery about the reports. They have not come direct, but 



