852 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1. 



ner in which they extended hospitality to the 

 bee keepers at the Lincoln convention. They 

 have set another pace for other States to follow 

 Jn the ere cilori of a suitable honey-hiiildiiip. I 

 believe that we as bee-keepers scarcely realize 

 the very great importance of liavinp our inr^iis- 

 try properly shown up at the Slate fairs. — Ed.] 



FOUL BROOD. 



THE APPEAEANCE OF THE AFFECTED COMB 



AND THE AI'PKAltAXCK OF THE DISEASK 



IN THE MICKOSCOPE. 



[A pannphlet, "F(.ul JJrord and its Treat- 

 ment," has recently been issued from the> pr n 

 of Thos. \Vm. Cowan, editor of the ISrUish Bee 

 Jimrnal, and author of other works on the sub- 

 ject of bees. This little treatise begins by 

 showing the importance of the industry of bee- 

 keeping and the valuable service performed by 

 the bees in the fertilization of fruit-bloom. The 

 author then draws atlentiun to the one great 

 pest of bees— foul brood. After giving a instor- 

 ical retrospect, and the nature of the disease, 

 he sets forth the life history, whicli 1 copy in 

 full, as it shows what loul brood is and what it 

 loiks like— both the ajipearance of the comb 

 having the disease, and the disease germs 

 themselves, as viewed from the microscope. 

 So far as I know, th^re has never yet been a 

 photograjih of a comb of foul Vrood. and I ti.ke 

 pleasure in presenting one. copied from the 

 work above mentioned. Mr. Cowan says-— Ed.] 



life' HJPTOIiY OF: FOrLBROOD. 



It will tie necessary to give only a brief outline of 

 the life liistory of Bncilhifi alvei In enal ie us to un- 

 derstand somewliiit of the nature of this disesise. 



FIG. 1.— FOUL BROOD IN AN ADVANCED STAGE 



Bacilhis aTvei is ii puthngonir or disease-produfing' 

 micro nrfiiiiiibni, in f(Jitn (.\iindiiial oi- k d ^h;lp d, 

 and incri'iisiiijf by si'litiiiiy or tissiu'iiii n. The 

 rods iucr(ii>e in bngih wiilmut frrowinj; tliicker, 

 anil iit a cei t;iin pcint di\ ide and S' pariite in i uo, lo 

 HKHiii iiiciea^e. liixide. and sepaiale. Si^n eiinies, in 

 suitalile iinuri.'-hrnfi' media. Ilie lerigll eniuK of the 

 lod is not accotiiijanied by m | aralion, l)iit oid.\ liy 

 jei'eaied division into longer or sliorier cliains of 

 bacillus fiiiiiheiits. oi Ie] toiliiix. Tic k ds aie iilso 

 pn vidt d Willi a IhiKelluni at one (nd, and are en- 

 dowed \vitli ihe pc.\\ei(if |i coniotion. Uidi r ( er- 

 lain ci'iiditicn^ I luilii liuve ilie ) ower of fornnug 

 spores, iu which case a speck appears at a particu- 



lar point of tlie bacillus, whirli gradually enlarp-es 

 and deselops into an ovt I liiyldy ii f laclive bi dy, 

 lliicker but slioiter flian Ilie di'iginal rod. The 

 spore fdrow s at ibe expense of the inotojila.-m of the 

 cell, wliicli in lime disappeais. settiig liee ili6 

 ppoie. Tlie Jaf lei formal iori c'osi s tbe c\ cle of the 

 life liisloiy of tl.e bacillus. The siioros— repiesent- 

 ing- the set ds— ret;iiti tl e power of go minaiintr itiio 

 bacilli when intn dnced into a suitable nourii-hirg 

 medium, and ai a pioper tempt rat>ue, even after 

 the laiise of long periods of time. At jrerniinal ion 

 the s))ore fli.'-t loses iis lirilliancy, swells up, and 

 eventually its niemlirane buists in tlie middle. The 

 inner pait (.f the spoie tlun piojects through the 

 opei ing', and grows to a new rod. 



The si'orts also posscFs the power of enduring 

 adverse influences of \ai ious kinds wiihout injury 

 lo thi ir \ iiality, so far as gei m n iiing is coni^ei-iied, 

 ( ven if siil)ji"tied to influences fatal to bacilli thnm- 

 selvi s. The hitter are (!estio\ ed at lie teniperalure 

 of boiling water, w hile 1 he spore apparentl.v sutlers 

 no dnmaye at t hat lemperai nre. Freezirig also kills 

 the bacilli, but not the spores. In ih" same way 

 chemical leagents. completely destructive tif the 

 bacilli, do i ot affect the vitality of the spores. 

 Carbolib acid, phi nol, lli.\ mol. Palicylic acid, naph- 

 thol bet^a, pei'chloi'ide of iiiercut-y. and many oihep 

 sniistances. even «lieri considi rabiy diluted, pie- 

 vt nt the grow th of bacilli, but have no etleci what- 

 ever upon the sports. The great I'esi^tance of 

 spores to high and low femperatures, to a^ ids and 

 other siibsiauces, is due to their being encased with- 

 in a thick double membrane. 



Q'hcre are certain ("hemical substances which 

 evapoialeat the ordinary temperature of the hive, 

 and whose va|iors, while not actually killing the 

 bacilli, arrest I heir iiicre.ise or gi'ovvth. Among 

 such substances ilie 'arbolie ;icid. plien vi (or on o'in), 

 lysol, eucalyptus, saiuphor, naphthalene, and sev- 

 erd otleis. 



If a head by larva he taken, and a small nuantity 

 of the .iuice from its Ijody spread onagliss slide 

 be I l.icefl iindei- the inirroscope, we shall see a num- 

 ber of fat-glohnles and l)loiid discs (Fig. 2i, among 

 which molecules are iu constant motion. If, < n the 

 othe'- hand, a youiglir- 

 Vii di-eased. but ntii yet 

 de id. be treated as ab )ve, 

 its .iuices will, when sub- 

 .iccti'd to a simil.irexaini- 

 naiitui. tie S' en tocontaia 

 agri-at n nnhei of :Mtive 

 rods swimming tiacl^waia 

 and forwaid among the 



lilnod-ilisrs ami falglulJ- 

 iilcs, which latter, as 

 will be noticed iFig. 3), 

 are fewer than those in 

 the juii-es of a hca thy 

 larva. We shall also And, 

 ast.he disea.-e makes rap- 

 id pi ogress, chains of 

 bacilli— the leplothrix 

 form — bfcoming com- 

 mon. Ill Fig. 4 we have 

 a representation of a lat- 

 er stage of Ilie disease 

 when the hirva is dead 

 and decompi sing. Here 

 the fat and atl)iimi loids 

 will be ftiuiid disappear- 

 ing, and the baiilli as- 

 suming the sfiitte condi- 

 tion In Fig .^ we See tbe 

 disease iu its latest 8 age, 

 wlien the whole rotten 

 mass has t)i come cotlie- 

 colored, or h is ilried to a 

 scale. Blood discs, lat- 

 gloiiules, aTid nioleculap 

 movements have dis^ppeired. only .a few lacrilli 

 are seen, and at last, as the u iiinshing material 

 become'^ exiiausted, only sp ires it m lin. 



It "ill now t'C understood that, owing lo the gre it 

 resi>tai ce of I hi- sp' iie-i. ehemifal substances have 

 no t fleet at all i.pn them unless administfred 

 uiidt r sni h ci ndli a us as would deslioythe bets. 

 Fn m this it will lie seen how great is the dilH'-iilly 

 in curing 1t)ul luood uukss the disease is attacked 

 in its I ai l.\ stage s 



It I as jut \iously been ftated that adult bees are 

 pomelin.is ati:cKtd 1 y I be flisca- e. 'I o pro\e tliis, 

 it is I nlj leressaiy to tiki awiakl\ bi e on the 

 point ol death, aud exaa.ine what leu-aiLs of its 



