Aug. 25. 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



583 



FOUL BROOD IN TEXAS. 



It is hard to tell just exactly what the present standing- 

 of foul brood is in this State, but I will relate the fol- 

 lowing : 



The first notice that we received of the disease being in 

 any of the Texas apiaries was from the north central part 

 of the State. From Navarro county we learned that there 

 were several apiaries where this disease had wiped out the 

 bees, and that to the extent of several hundred colonies. In 

 the several counties where the disease raged we may safely 

 say that about 1200 colonies were destroyed by this disease. 

 In some of these parts it seems as if it had now played itself 

 out, as it were. After all of the bees were destroyed, and 

 none left to keep the disease, it naturally disappeared. 



In 1902, Mr. Wilmon Newell, then in charge of the api- 

 cultural work here, made a trip of inspection to Navarro 

 county, and found several apiaries infected, which he in- 

 structed the owners thereof to treat, giving the most rigid 

 instructions as to how the work should be carried out. He 

 advised the burning of the badly infected colonies, and the 

 treatment of the less infected ones. From recent letters I 

 find, however, that the owners of these yards had not suc- 

 ceeded in ridding them of the disease. 



As foul brood generally destroys apiaries in less time 

 than it seemed to me it was doing in some of the districts 

 in North Texas, I became a little doubtful as to whether it 

 might be foul brood or perhaps some other disease. So I 

 sent for samples of diseased brood, several of which I have 

 here now. From examination of these it is hard to tell 

 what it really is, but I do know that it is not foul brood. 

 First, there is not the characteristic foul odor. Second, the 

 ropiness of the dead brood is not present at all. Then, the 

 dead brood does not sink down to the bottom of the cells as 

 it does in foul brood. And if you examine the cappings 

 over the dead brood you will not find them sunken and with 

 a small hole in them. Instead, you see them sunken down 

 about half way into the cell. Now it is hard to tell from 

 such small samples that have been in the mails several 

 days just what it is without perhaps a microscopical exami- 

 nation. So what is it that they have up there ? I can not 

 say what the present standing of foul brood is in that part 

 of Texas. 



Last fall we received many letters from the bee-men of 

 Uvalde county wanting help. They were complaining 

 about the spreading of the disease there, and that some- 

 thing must be done. As we have no funds for doing any of 

 this work, and for defraying the expenses which would be 

 involved in such work, we were, of course, unable to do 

 anything. But after some correspondence it was agreed 

 upon that I go out there and investigate the matter, and 

 also to treat the diseased apiaries, provided the bee-keepers 

 go together and promise to pay my expenses while there, in 

 the way of board and lodging, buggy and horse, and that 

 one man go with me to the infected apiaries. 



I went there last year, in the fall, when broomweed 

 was in bloom, and a honey-flow was on that would have 

 made the work just ideal, but after spending two days there, 

 during which time an attempt was made to get the bee- 

 keepers together, I had to return to College without having 

 accomplished anything. And this only because there were 

 a few of the leading bee-keepers who led the others around 

 as they wished, and who said that they did not think that it 

 was necessary to have this expert come out here to attend 

 to the foul brood ; and then they thought that it was not so 

 bad, anyway ; therefore what is the use of spending any 

 money for this work ? Then a motion to adjourn was made 

 by another, and they went home again. 



I would like to say, however, that there were about 20 bee- 

 men who really wanted the work done, but after the other 



fellows had their say, these did not have the courage to 

 come out with it. 



That is the trouble with too many of our bee-keepers, 

 and unless they do wake up to the times and come out, 

 ready to do something when an opportunity offers, they 

 will never accomplish what should be accomplished. 



Since then I have received letters from there to the 

 effect that there were several yards infected very badly with 

 the disease ; that the owners of them were allowing combs 

 and other things* to be exposed to other and healthy api- 

 aries, and that it would spread all over the country out 

 there if something was not done soon. We have heard of 

 one or two yards being fairly rotten with the stuff, that the 

 owner had left them to themselves, and that other bees 

 were exposed to them. But as I did not have occasion to 

 go out to any of these yards, even after I traveled all the 

 way to that place, I can not tell just what the present stand- 

 ing of foul brood is out in the Uvalde country. 



Now I will take you down to the Beeville country, 

 where this disease caused such an uproar last winter. I was 

 called there, and now let me tell you something the very 

 opposite from the previous narrative just gone over. 



The Beeville bee-keepers went together and had a man 

 come down there. When he came he was taken into their 

 care and all the help was offered him that he would have 

 needed, and that in spite of their being busy as could be. 

 It was in the latter part of March, when bees need one's 

 attention in that country, but these people were going to 

 get rid of the foul brood first, and then attend to their bees, 

 and they did it. I was enabled to destroy all of it that 

 could be found, and we inspected something like 2000 colo- 

 nies that were suspected. It took a good many days' work, 

 but they did not let me go until it was attended to. 



Out of the 2000 colonies inspected there were only 25 

 that were infected with the disease, and they were promptly 

 burned. 



In a lot of 8 hives in one of the yards the infection was 

 traced back to a car of bees that was brought down from 

 Dallas several years ago. The others were in a yard re- 

 cently bt'ought down from Iowa, and the disease was 

 brought with the bees. At one place where a whole apiary 

 had once been destroyed with foul brood were found 2 re- 

 maining colonies that were badly infected. These were 

 placed on a pile of kindling made out of the old hives from 

 which the bees had died before, after having dug out a 

 large place in the ground to prevent any of the melted 

 honey and wax from running out, and the whole thing was 

 set on fire. 



We have a foul-brood law, but it is not strong enough 

 to accomplish the desired work. It is weak in some points, 

 and mainly in that it does not give the inspector authority 

 enough in treating the disease. For instance, in the case 

 at Beeville, the burning of the bees could hardly have oc- 

 curred had not the bee-keepers agreed in a meeting that they 

 would stand behind the inspector and that the bees be 

 burned; that the bee-men would settle any dispute that 

 might arise therefrom 



Here is a case where the bee-keepers showed what could 

 be done by uniting, and attending to things that needed 

 their immediate attention. They had their meeting right 

 in the infected yard, resolved to do their part, and they did 

 it. If such action would be taken at all of the localities 

 where the bee-men are troubled with this disease, it would 

 not be long before it would be eradicated. 



Besides, the Beeville bee-men have two strong associa- 

 tions in good working order. That is the main reason for 

 their prompt action. " In union there is strength " holds 

 good here. Each of these associations has a committee to 

 look after the matter of the bee-diseases and foul brood. 

 They call it a vigilance committee, and whenever it is 



