THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



187 



1 have employed it several times, and, 

 really, 1 prefer it to all other methods. 

 It is less labor than to shake the bees; 

 there is no exposure of the combs, and 

 no danger of bees loaded with infected 

 honey straying into adjoining- hives. 



This plan has twice been described in 

 the Review, but the Review has since 

 gained many readers, and I think it well 

 to repeat it at this most favorable time 

 of the year for its adoption. Here it is 

 as Mr. Baldridge gave it in the Review 

 13 years ago. 



1 am positive that 1 know how to get 

 rid of foul brood in my own apiary and 1 

 see no reason why others cannot do like- 

 wise. 1 think my plan is so very simple 

 and practical that any beekeeper, though 

 a novice, can adopt it, and with the best 

 of results. 



In the first place 1 cage the queen of 

 the diseased colony so as to stop breeding, 

 and then place the caged mother in the 

 top of the hive where the bees can have 

 ready access to her, and likewise so I can 

 get possession of the cage when needed 

 and with the least possible disturbance of 

 the bees. I then bore a hole — say an 

 inch in diameter— in the front end of the 

 hive, a few inches above the bottom en- 

 trance, and fasten a metal bee escape over 

 the hole and on the outside of the hive. 

 I do the foregoing towards sunset and 

 then let the colony alone until the next 

 morning. 



1 now prepare an empty hive by filling 

 the brood chamber with a set of frames — 

 less one or two— filled with foundation 

 or simply narrow strips of the same. I 

 now go to any strong, healthy colony and 

 remove one or two combs of brood, with 

 or without the adhering bees, and place 

 the same in the prepared hive. 



1 now gently as possible reverse the 

 diseased colony, or turn it end for end, 

 and move it sidewise the width of the 

 hive, or a trifle more, and leave the bee- 

 entrance open -when this is done 1 then 

 place the prepared hive on the old stand 

 but with its bee-entrance in the opposite 

 direction. This may all be done any time 

 in the forenoon or when the bees are 

 busy getting honey from the flowers. 

 The bees will now on their return from 

 work, or play, enter the prepared hive 

 and remain there, and within two or three 

 days the main force of the matured bees 

 will be transferred to their old location. 



Now towards sunset blow a few puffs 



of smoke upon the caged queen, to drive 

 the bees away from it, and then transfer 

 the queen to the colony in the prepared 

 hive. She may be given her liberty at 

 once and by the way of the bee-entrance. 

 Now close the bee-entrance to the dis- 

 eased colony so that no bees can pass in 

 nor out except through the bee-escape, 

 and gently reverse the hive again so that 

 both hives will now front the same way. 

 Both hives should now set close together, 

 or within an inch or so of each other. 

 From now on all the bees in the diseased 

 colony must pass out or through the bee- 

 escape, and, as they cannot return, they 

 must and will go into the prepared hive. 

 In about three weeks all the healthy 

 brood in the diseased colony will be 

 hatched out and soon thereafter all the 

 bees will be found in the prepared hive 

 — and no loss of either bees or labor. The 

 contents of the diseased colony may now 

 be taken to some proper place and be 

 disposed of by burning the same. This 

 is best done in a room or building to 

 which no outside bees can gain access and 

 get at the honey. But it is not necessary 

 that this should be a total loss. Such 

 combs as contain honey and are free of 

 diseased brood, may be extracted and 

 saved for table use, and the empty 

 combs melted and made into wax— those 

 that contain brood may as well be burned 

 up at once — frames and all— as the cost 

 of replacing them nowadays is but a 

 trifle any way. 



By this time the prepared hive will or 

 should be full of both comb and brood 

 and without any foul brood or any trace 

 of the disease. In fact it will be and 

 remain a healthy colony. At least that 

 has been my experience. 



The now empty hive may, by simply 

 scraping it thoroughly, be used again 

 with no occurrence of the disease. At 

 least that is my belief. But should the 

 reader believe otherwise, then the empty 

 hive may be thoroughly disinfected by 

 simply boiling it in water or by heating 

 it with fire--and this can be done without 

 doing the wood any material injury. 

 When done by fire, simply paint the in- 

 side of the hive with kerosene oil and 

 then throw inside of it a burning paper, 

 then watch the fire closely, and when it 

 has done its proper work, cover the hive 

 with a board and smother it out. The 

 inside of the hive throughout should now 

 be about as free of foreign matter as 

 when new. The disinfected hive may now 

 be used and with no danger of any germs 

 of the foul brood disease therein. 



The foregoing treatment of the foul 

 brood malady is based upon the generally 



