as 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Jan. 15 



CONVERSATIONS WITH 

 DOOLITTLE 



AT Borodino, New York. 



FOUL BROOD; HOW DISTINGUISHED — HOW 

 CURED. 



While I had foul brood in my apiary dur- 

 ing the early seventies, and in two years 

 succeeded in curing the whole so completely 

 that I have had none of that dread disease 

 since (now known as American foul brood) , 

 I know that I am not fully up to the times on 

 the foul-brood question. However, as I ef- 

 fectually cured it, and know that the means 

 I used will always cure it, it may not be 

 amiss to give this old plan again. But be- 

 fore telling how to cure it I will tell how to 

 distinguish this disease. 



American foul brood is discovered by the 

 apiarist finding one or many cells in a colo- 

 ny containing brood with sunken cappings, 

 and probably a small hole near the center 

 about the size of a knitting-needle, although 

 this small hole is not always present. Upon 

 opening the cells the larva is found stretch- 

 ed out at full length, dead, and of a dark- 

 brown color, dying from one to three days 

 after being capped over. If the larva has 

 recently died it is in shape as perfect as the 

 live larvse are; but those alive are white, 

 while those dead are of a light-brown color 

 at first, soon changing to a dark brown, and 

 finally to nearly black. Upon touching a 

 dead larva it is' found to be a salvy mass, 

 and the whole hive, if far advanced, emits a 

 very disagreeable smell. Some claim this 

 smell is like that of an old glue-pot; but I 

 know of no smell to which it can be com- 

 pared. The disease progresses, as a rule, 

 very rapidly, and from a few cells in the 

 spring it so spreads that by fall from one- 

 half to three-fourths of the cells will be filled 

 with dead larvae, the smell of which is near- 

 ly if not quite as penetrating as carrion, but 

 not at all like it. Thus what should have 

 constituted an increase died; and as very 

 few larvae are removed from the cells, the 

 bees grow less and less in numbers until all 

 are gone unless the apiarist comes to the 

 rescue, 



I have been thus particular in describing 

 the disease so none need mistake it, and also 

 because there is another disease similar, oft- 

 en called European foul brood, which is not 

 our old foul brood, but what is termed, in 

 New York, black brood. With this last, pos- 

 sibly more larvse die before the cells are 

 capped over than do afterward, though the 

 caps to the cells where the larvae die after 

 being capped over have very much the same 

 appearance as the genuine foul brood; but 

 the dead larva is of a yellowish white at 

 first, then a grayish white, and finally brown, 

 while, instead of being stretched out at full 

 length in the cell, it is generally drawn up in 

 a more compact shape, especially soon after 

 it dies. After a while this so dries up that 

 the bees remove much of it; and, if not too 

 bad, when the honey-flow comes on it may 



be all removed, the cells cleaned, and the 

 combs filled with honey and capped over, so 

 that, as far as the honey is concerned, no one 

 would know that there had been any disease 

 at all. 



Cutting out diseased cells having the gen- 

 uine American foul brood is of no avail, as 

 the germs of the disease are in the honey. 

 Also, the dead larva never dries up as does 

 that of "black brood," so that all in the hive 

 are removed, although some strong vigorous 

 colonies of Italians come very near doing so 

 (if the disease has not progressed too far) on 

 the approach of cold weather in the fall, so 

 that there are only a few cells at that time of 

 the year. However, genuine foul brood is 

 always progressive; and while it may appear 

 to be on the wane in such strong colonies 

 late in the season, yet with spring It comes 

 on again with increased vigor, and always 

 victorious, unless the apiarist is on hand to 

 cure it. This brings us to the curing part. 



When a colony is believed to have the gen- 

 uine foul brood, mark the hive; and if there 

 are bees enough to ward off robbers let it en- 

 tirely alone for three weeks to a month, 

 when it should be examined again just at 

 night if there is any danger from robbers 

 and (if in the breeding season) the genuine 

 will have progressed so you will be sure it is 

 foul brood, wnile the black brood may sim- 



Ely have held its own, or decreased so as to 

 e nearly all gone. The genuine means 

 progress every time, although in some rare 

 cases a colony may hold out over two sea- 

 sons. As soon as it is determined that the 

 disease is American foul brood, shake or 

 drive the bees into a clean empty hive, ren- 

 der the combs into wax, and boil the honey 

 at once before you forget it. Don't set it 

 away thinking you will do it at some other 

 time; for if you do you may repent at a great 

 loss some future day, when, through some 

 mistake, it gets inside, not of one hive, but 

 many of the hives in the apiary. Boiling 

 such honey half an hour or so destroys the 

 germs of foul brood and makes it as good as 

 ever for the bees. If there is plenty of nec- 

 tar, so there is no danger from robbing, 

 drive or shake off three-fourths of the bees 

 and leave the remainder to care for the 

 brood. In twenty-one days treat again as at 

 first, and a cure will be effected as far as 

 that colony is concerned. After the bees 

 have been in the clean hive long enough for 

 the larvae to hatch from the eggs laid by the 

 queen in the new comb the bees have built, 

 they can be given foundation, empty combs, 

 or frames of orood, the same as any healthy 

 colony. Burn the hive and frames, or throw 

 them into a large kettle of boiling water, aft- 

 er the foul-broody combs have been re- 

 moved, and thoroughly boil any thing that 

 may chance to have any of the foul honey 

 upon it. Right here I wish to emphasize the 

 fact that American foul broodis in the honey; 

 and if you do this work at a time or in a 

 place so that a robber gets a load of this hon- 

 ey, or carry it on your fingers, knife, or any 

 thing else, to a healthy colony, that colony is 

 doomed. 



