November, 1916. 



American Hee Journal 



FIG. oi.-HOUND'S TONGUE-Photographed in the woods 



thumb," makes it imperative in the 

 minds of our authorities that no half 

 way measures should be tolerated in 

 dealing with such a serious disease. If 

 giving but one shake would cure all 

 but a fertf, one could afford to treat 

 those few colonies again, for a second 

 shaking often seems to demoralize 

 colonies, causing many to desert the 

 hives if queens are not caged. Those 

 who have practiced much shaking of 

 foulbrood know of the amount of trou- 

 ble often attendant with the second 

 shaking when the partly drawn starters 

 are replaced by full sheets of founda- 

 tion. 



While we have never had much foul- 

 brood in our apiaries — six colonies at 

 one yard five or six years ago being 

 the largest number found in a single 

 season — yet as I practiced the single 

 shake in nearly every case, results as 

 to how they turned out might be inter- 

 esting. During the last eight years I 

 have treated 17 or 18 colonies, nearly 

 all mildly affected, as I always found 

 them in the spring when clipping 

 queens and doing the general manipu- 

 lating incidental to spring work. Of 

 this number five or six showed a few 

 cells of foulbrood later, and had to be 

 shaken again. This is altogether too 

 large a percentage, and if this is a gen- 

 eral condition resulting from giving 

 but one shake, I understand why Mr. 

 McEvoy emphatically insisted on two 

 shakes, and I wonder that so many in- 

 spectors "over the line " advocate giv- 

 ing but one shake. 



Results are often hard to explain, 

 and I might illustrate this by telling of 

 two incidents coming under my notice. 

 Some years ago when on inspection 

 work I was looking through some very 

 strong colonies belonging to a friend 

 not far from my home, a distance of 

 seven or eight miles. The colonies 

 were given little attention by the 

 owner, but the bees, although in odd- 

 sized hives, were abnormally strong. 



On examination, six of those very 



strong colonies were found mildly dis- 

 eased with American foulbrood ; evi- 

 dently ithey had been robbing some- 

 where quite recently, as no dried scales 

 were to be seen. My friend said he 

 would not treat the bees, and that if I 



would not take them away he would 

 burn them, hives and all. I tried to 

 persuade him to treat them, but to no 

 effect, and later he sent word for me to 

 come and take them away or he would 

 burn up the whole outfit. Reluctantly 

 I decided to drive over and bring the 

 six colonies home and treat them, as it 

 seemed too bad to destroy such strong 

 colonies. 



Of course, as an inspector I could 

 not think of buying the bees, and it was 

 hardly the thing for me to take them 

 away even if my friend was so insistent. 

 However, laying aside the ethics of the 

 case, the six colonies were brought 

 home and placed about 100 feet away 

 from the other bees, under some apple 

 trees. They were given but one shake, 

 yet not a cell of foulbrood ever re- 

 appeared, although a careful watch was 

 kept on those hives ever since. There 

 had been a very heavy flow during the 

 day on which the bees were treated 

 and for a few days following. Last 

 spring we found two cases of foulbrood, 

 one at the Altona yard and one at the 

 home yard. Both were given the sin- 

 gle shake at the opening of the clover 

 flow. After the shaking we had three 

 days of rain that kept the bees in the 

 hives. I thought surely there would be 

 a cure, for the bees were getting noth- 

 ing and would have to use up the 

 honey taken with them that might pos- 

 sibly be diseased. 



Later in the season I found both 

 colonies showing a few cells of foul- 

 brood. I can offer no explanation, and 





FIG. Q2,-PROF. PETTIT AMONG THE WILD RASPBERRY IN ONTARIO 



