1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



157 



the gas will issue from the explosive 

 lorce. 



I find it advisable, though seldom 

 necessary, to wear my working bee 

 suit, including gloves, as, if the hive be 

 the least rickety, bees will leak at un- 

 suspected places and I kill them with 

 the fingers of the left hand as fast as 

 they appear. 



All ready, I kneel in front of the hive 

 and f lace across the entrance a piece 

 of lath, cut about an inch and a half 

 shorter than the full entrance, leaving 

 the blank at the right. Into this space 

 I push the nozzle of the smoker and 

 pump steadily and persistently until all 

 noise in the hive ceases. To make sure 

 of inside conditions I generally place 

 my ear against the side of the brood- 

 chamber, and when all is quiet I prd- 

 ceed to the next victim. 



It is very important for the inspec- 

 tor's comfort that he inhale none of 

 the fumes, so I generally endeavor to 

 choose a night when the wind is from 

 a southerly direction. Bijt such ideal 

 conditions are not always obtainable. 



for instance, last summer in Vancouver, 

 north winds were persistent for weeks, 

 so twice I inhaled considerable sulphur 

 fumes on account of a sudden change 

 in the direction of the wind. I usually 

 lie out full length with my head to 

 the left of the hive and face 

 turned away, but even with these pre- 

 cautions I was caught. The result in 

 my case is that for about three days 

 after being "gassed" I am very languid 

 and do not feel fit for much exertion. 



The bees all smothered, I carry the 

 first hive to the fire, bottom-board in 

 position. Setting it down I remove 

 the cover, turn it upside down and lay 

 it to the left. Then I lift the hive off 

 the bottom-board carefully and set it 

 on the cover. On the bottom-board lie 

 the dead bees, many thousands of them 

 when the colony is strong. Lifting the 

 board I shoot the bees into the fire, 

 which ought to be now a solid mass of 

 glowing embers. At first the fife will 

 deaden, but as soon as it brightens up, 

 I lift the hive and set it squarely in the 

 center, then strip off the quilt so that 



the space between each pair of combs 

 becomes a chimney. In a minute there 

 is fierce hissing as the water runs out 

 of the brood and honey, but in a few 

 minutes a really strong fire will over- 

 come all that, so I now set bottom- 

 board and cover by the side of the 

 body, and then carry in the next hive 

 to repeat. By this time the burning 

 wax gives .1 powerful heat so th.at one 

 can pile up all the rest just about as 

 fast as they can be handled. 



The chief reason fordigging the hole 

 is to make certain that no honey can 

 escape. The embers from the fire- 

 wood and hives easily fill the hole and 

 burn everything combustible. The bee- 

 keeper generally fills it in before retir- 

 ing so as to avoid all risk of fire on the 

 premises. 



In conclusion, let me repeat that the 

 chief essentials are a powerful fire in 

 the hole, and a thoroughly hot smoker 

 well charged with sulphur. Either can 

 be easily extinguished by covering up 

 with dirt; as a matter of fact when I 

 have smothered the last colony I throw 

 a loose handful of dirt in the smoker. 

 Having so much smothering to do, I 

 keep one specially for the job, prefer- 

 ring the variety with the hinged cover 

 and forward projecting nozzle. 



Victoria, B. C. 



[Mr. Todd uses the heroic treatment 

 for foulbrood. He has repeatedly told 

 us that he does not believe in trying to 

 save the bees or the hive of an affected 

 colony. Of course, where there are 

 only two or three cases and they are 

 bad, and one does not wish to be both- 

 ered with much work, it may be advis- 

 able. Yet if the transferring is done as 

 carefully as his "burning," and if the 

 empty hives are carefully singed imme- 

 diately with a tinner's or painter's gaso- 

 line torch, there is no possibility of 

 transmitting disease. By all means 

 save the hive. But it is better to burn 

 up the honey and the combs of the dis- 

 eased colonies. — Editor ] 



A THREE-STORY OBSERVATORY HIVE-F. Dundas Todd 



The California State Meeting 



BY J. E. PLEASANTS. 



THE California State Beekeepers' 

 meeting was held at Exposition 

 Park, Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 1917. 

 This was one of the best meetings the 

 association has had for years— short, 

 harmonious, and instructive. The first 

 day was mostly devoted to business. 



The resolution for beekeepers' Legal 

 Aid was repealed almost unanimously, 

 it being the consensus of opinion that 

 such a clause in the Constitution would 

 only have a tendency to cause trouble. 



The election of ofiicers resulted in 

 almost the whole staff and Executive 

 Board being chosen from the northern 

 part of the State. And the next meet- 

 ing will be held in the North. B. B. 

 Hogaboom, of Elk Grove, Sacramento 

 county, was elected president. 



There were interesting and instruc- 

 tive lectures and talks on a wide range 

 of subjects. George J. Brown made a 

 strong talk on the methods of the 

 " United Honey Producers ", which was 

 enthusiastically received. Mr. Brown 

 has recently been made president of 



