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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



Now, understand, we do not mean to assert 

 positively that plienol can not be made to cure 

 foul brood; but our experience and observation 

 convince us that the average bee-keeper had 

 better let it alone. 



THE PLAN THAT WPJ PREFER. 



Having satisfied yourself of the presence of 

 foul brood, or even having a suspicion that the 

 disease is in some particular colony, prepare a 

 clean hive containing only frames of founda- 

 tion. Toward night shake all the bees from 

 the diseased or suspected colony on to frames of 

 foundation, and place the new hive on the 

 stand of the old one. If possible, the new hive 

 should resemble exactly the old one; otherwise 

 the bees will be confused, and carry the germs 

 of the disease to other colonies. Compel the 

 bees to use up the honey in their honey-sacs in 

 drawing out the foundation. Don't feed for a 

 dav or so. 



The diseased honey in the honey-sacs will be 

 converted into wax, and the new product will 

 be entirely harmless. The old combs of the 

 old hives should be burned. Do not try to 

 economize by melting up the wax. You will not 

 get enough of it to pay, besides run the risk of 

 spreading the disease all over the apiary. The 

 old hive should be immersed in boiling water 

 for at least 15 or 20 seconds. Splashing boiling 

 water on it will hardly be sufficient. Painting 

 the inside of the hive with a strong solution of 

 carbolic acid may answer ; but we know that 

 boiling the hives is effectual. The hive, after 

 boiling, may be used again with perfect im- 

 punity, with new colonies.. 



We would not advise burning colonies. Un- 

 less you burn up every bee, the few that escape 

 will get into some other hive, and do more 

 damage than the treatment above recommended. 



Caution,. — Do not handle the infected colonies 

 during the day, or when robbers are nosing 

 around. Do not attempt to satisfy the curiosity 

 of other bee-keepers who would like to see what 

 foul brood looks like, smells like, etc. If you use 

 any sort of brush for brushing the bees off the 

 combs into the new hives, either burn it up or 

 keep it for a while in boiling water before 

 using it again on healthy colonies. Nothing 

 but an old smoker should be used in working 

 with foul brood. The boards of the bellows 

 may, perhaps, with advantage be painted with 

 a strong solution of carbolic acid; but after 

 having rid the apiary of foul brood, burn up 

 the smoker. Disinfect every thing where pos- 

 sible, that has come in contact with combs or 

 hives that are infected with the disease, by im- 

 mersing in boiling water. The hands should 

 be thoroughly washed in water strongly tinc- 

 tured with carbolic acid just strong enough so 

 it will not quite peel the skin off the hands. A 

 solution diluted .500 times, or the stn-ngth 

 recommended in the phenol treatment, is hard- 

 ly adequate. V/e have tested such strength in 

 killing the germs grown artificially in test- 

 tubes, and it seems to have no effect one way or 

 the other. 



If you are afraid of foul brood, cut this article 

 out and paste it inside of your honey-house, 

 where you can have it ready for immediate ref- 

 erence in case the disease should ever make 

 itself manifest in your apiary. We have care- 

 fully tested personally the method we have 

 recommended above, and know that it is effectu- 

 al. Allow us to repeat that we have carefully 

 tested personally the acid and medicine, or 

 antiseptic treatment, and have found them to 

 be practical failures. We are sure that our 

 readers had better not try to experinaent for 

 themselves. It would be far better for them to 

 accept the dictum of somebody else who has 

 been through it all. 



T/i/iDE Notes. 



A NEW METHOD OF CLEATING HIVE -COVERS. 



I want to suggest an improvement on your 

 Dovetailed -hive cover — see sketch. I have 

 made covers as you make them, and the cover 



will warp if exposed to the sun, and split the 

 grooved cleat. It would cause but a slight 

 alteration in the machinery, and would make a 

 much better cover; and, nailed as shown, I 

 think it would be a great improvement. 



Bowls, Ga., March 15. E. W. Stewart. 



[We are of the opinion that friend S. has 

 suggested a good idea. It is perfectly practica- 

 ble, and may be an improvement over the old 

 way. Indeed, we are seriously considering the 

 advisability of making covers cleated, as shown, 

 in the stock for 1894. From a practical stand- 

 point, however, we have had no trouble from 

 covers cleated in the way we have used right 

 along; but as localities differ in point of cli- 

 mate, a warping tendency on the part of the 

 cover-board itself might be worse elsewhere 

 than here. We should like to hear from our 

 subscribers as to what they think of a cover 

 cleated as above, and whether covers on the old 

 plan do warp.] 



device to close hive -entrances. 

 I see in Gleanings from time to time some 

 device for fastening frames, covers, bottom- 

 boards, etc., but I never saw any simple device 

 for closing the entrance when about to move 

 bees. I made a fastener last week. I know not 

 whether this is new, but with me it is original. 



It need not cost two'cents, aside from making, 

 and may be always at hand to slip into place. 

 If it is of any importance to your readers, give 

 it to them. Take two blocks of wood, 33^x1, 



