1910 



(iLKAXIX<iS IN BEE CULTURE 



5;31 



cured, as Mr. Pryal's article, p. 19, Jan. 1, 

 would lead one to think, though she may 

 have been somewhat relieved. 



When we stop to consider that there are 

 literally millions of cases of rheumatism, 

 real inflammatory rheumatism, in the world 

 yearly, and only here and there a cure of 

 (often an unknown disease) gout, lead- 

 poisoning, or other joint trouble by bee- 

 stings, I claim the evidence is insufficient. 



Buck Grove, la. 



THE DIFFICULTY OF GETTING RID OF 

 FOUL BROOD. 



Is it Not Probable that Mr. Stewart's Bees did 

 Not have the Genuine American Foul Brood? 



BY GEORGE M. STEELE. 



On pages 417 and 445 Mr. Stewart tells his 

 experience in reference to American foul 

 brood. Now, I believe that his statements 

 are incorrect concerning the care of this dis- 

 ease, for I am absolutely positive that he is 

 mistaken in the disease he is treating, for it 

 can not be the old genuine American foul 

 brood. In and around Philadelphia we are 

 having trouble with foul brood, and for five 

 years I have been trying to clean it up. 



I have shaken bees on strips of founda- 

 tion, and in 35 days the disease appeared on 

 the combs. I have also shaken on full 

 sheets of foundation only to have the dis- 

 ease appear again. Only yesterday I was 

 going through the bees belonging to a 

 friend, and I found three hives out of five 

 that had been shaken this spring, during 

 the heavy honey-flow, that were as much 

 diseased as they were before being shaken. 

 Now, if any combs that have ever contain- 

 ed honey or brood in American foul-broody 

 hives are used again they will surely carry 

 the disease. Dr. Phillips has distinctly told 

 all bee-keepers that he has subjected Amer- 

 icin foul brood to boiling water for a con- 

 siderable time, and to the strongest anti- 

 septics known to materia medica, and the 

 spores of American foul brood seem to thrive 

 under all the disinfectants known to man. 

 Therefore I feel assured that Mr. Stewart 

 will have to retract his statements, as there 

 are no bees in the world that can clean out 

 ropy brood having the bad odor of American 

 foul brood. I can furnish infected combs 

 from a colony that has been queenless and 

 broodless for twenty days, and a micro- 

 scopic examination will show that the bees 

 attempted to close the cells with propolis. 



The publication of these articles, I feel 

 sure, will be the ruination of a large num- 

 ber of small bee-keepers throughout the dis- 

 eased districts of the United States. I have 

 a yard of something like sixty colonies in 

 Chester County, forty miles from Philadel- 

 l>hia. I have control of all the bees within 

 five miles of this yard — in fact, I have 

 examined all the apiaries in Chester Coun- 

 ty, and I feel sure that the American foul 

 brood has not arrived in this county. It 

 seems more than likely that Mr. Stewart 



must have either black brood, commo .ly 

 called European foul brood, or pickled 

 brood, or possibly even chilled or starved 

 brood, which shows in any large apiary in 

 early spring during the violent changes of 

 weather that we usually have. 



I think that the Alexander treatment is 

 correct for the European foul brood; but I 

 have found but one way of entirely getting 

 rid of American foul brood, and at the same 

 time save the bees and secure a crop. 



If you are sure that you have American 

 foul brood make a bottom-board bee-tight 

 by nailing a strip across the front. Nail 

 with staples an empty hive-body the same 

 size as the hive to be treated, to this pre- 

 pared bottom-board. Bore a ^-inch hole 

 in front of this hive-body very close to the 

 bottom-board. Over this hole tack a long 

 funnel-shai:)ed piece of tin with a small 

 entrance just large enough to admit the 

 passing of one bee, making sure that no 

 bees can enter between the hive and the 

 funnel. At the beginning of the honey- 

 flow go to the diseased colony; set it aside, 

 and put a new hive-body, containing full 

 sheets of foundation with a queen-excluder, 

 between it and the bottom-board. Pick u]) 

 each comb separately from the diseased 

 hive, and look for the queen. When found, 

 place her in the new hive on the old stand 

 and put the cover on. Pick up each comb 

 carefully; put in the hive with the funnel 

 entrance, as mentioned above. Then re- 

 move all debris, such as the hive-body, 

 bottom-board, etc., that the bees have been 

 shaken from, and carry it to the honey- 

 house as quickly as possible. It would be 

 well to let all adhering bees on the old hive- 

 body and bottom-board get out through the 

 escape in the honey-liQuse. Be very care- 

 ful to shake no dirt or cappings in front of 

 the new hive. 



This hive previously prepared with the 

 funnel entrance which contains full brood- 

 combs should be put in such a position that 

 all the bees leaving it will come very close 

 to the entrance of the new hive containing 

 the queen. Wait 35 days, then carry the 

 diseased mass of combs, without looking in- 

 to the hive, to the honey-house. If it is de- 

 sirable to save the honey in the combs they 

 may be extracted if great care is used to 

 prevent robbing, and if none of the honey 

 from any of these combs is spilled on the 

 clothing so that field bees can get to it. Aft- 

 er extracting the honey the combs may be 

 rendered into wax. 



The plan as outlined above is the only 

 one that I know of that will cure American 

 foul brood. I hope that no one will take of- 

 fense at what I have written, but I feel sure 

 that I know what I am talking about. If 

 Mr. Stewart will send me a piece of his 

 American foul-brood comb, and also a comb 

 that he has extracted the honey from, which 

 previously had the disease, I shall be pleas- 

 ed to test it. I will place it in one of my 

 clean colonies in Philadelphia, and watch 

 developments. 



30 South 40th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 



