322 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



HOW THEY EXTERMINATE FOUli 

 BROOD l\ UTAH. 



MAYING been appointed bee inspector for Salt 

 Lake County, by the county court, in pursu- 

 " ance to an act passed by our Territorial Leg- 

 islature, during' its last session, 1880, for the pro- 

 tection of bee culture, I forward it to you for pub- 

 lication. 



The disease among- bees known as foul brood has 

 destroyed many hundred colonies of bees, thus de- 

 priving our young and flourishing Territory of a 

 large income from the industry of bee culture. As 

 the name of our future state (Deseret) means the 

 honey bee, we wish to cultivate that little "busy 

 bee;" hence the law was made to protect those who 

 wish to engage in apiculture. Any good advice that 

 we may get by correspondence, from any source, 

 will be received and acted upon as seems to us best. 



My home apiary has perished this winter,— over 

 one hundred hives within the last three years; but 

 my apiary about three miles toward the moiintains, 

 east of my home, has done tolerably well. I have 

 about 60 healthy colonies there, which have not had 

 any foul brood, and I do not want them to have any. 

 liOSing my home apiary almost discouraged me for 

 work with them. There would be some bee-keepers 

 near by, who would not try any thing with their dis- 

 eased beee, and by that course my bees would keep 

 the disease among them, so I gave them up to die, 

 and die they did. 



The following is the law as published: 



AN ACT for the protection of Bee Culture. 



Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Assem- 

 bly of the Territory of Utah, That it shall be the 

 duty of the county court of each county to appoint 

 from among the bee-keepers of the county, one or 

 more suitable persons as Inspectors of Bees. 



Sec. 2. These inspectors shall be appointed bien- 

 nially; viz., on the first Monday in March of each 

 alternate year, or at the first regular sitting of the 

 court thereafter, and shall perform the duties of 

 bee inspectors for two years, and until their suc- 

 cessors are appointed and qualified. Said inspectors 

 shall qualify by taking and subscribing to an official 

 oath, and giving bonds with sureties to be approved 

 by their respective county courts, said bonds to be 

 filed with the clerks of said courts. 



Sec. 3. In determining the fitness of a person to 

 fill the position of inspector, the court may be gui- 

 ded by the wishes of the majority of tbe bee-keepers 

 owning or keeping bees in their respective coun- 

 ties, and it shall be deemed lawful for any inspector, 

 it^heso desires, to invite one or more persons to 

 assist hirh in prosecuting his inspection, provided, 

 that no charge is made for this voluntary service. 



Sec. 4. On the complaint of any person to the ef- 

 fect that, in his opinion, the disease known as foul 

 brood exists among the bees of any person or per- 

 sons, whether owners or custodians, it shall be the 

 duty of the inspector residing nearest to where the 

 foul brood is suspected to exist, to immediately in- 

 spect the bees believed to be infected, and, if said 

 inspector finds that foul brood does exist, he shall 

 there and then instruct said bee-keeper wholly to 

 destroy said bees and hives in which it is found, by 

 immediately burning or burying them. 



Sec. 5. If a bee-keeper by his own inspection or 

 through any source other than through a duly ap- 

 pointed inspector, discovers foul brood in his apia- 

 ry, it shall be his duty to wholly destroy the hives 

 affected, as provided for in section four (4) of this 

 act; failing to do which, he will be held liable to the 

 penalties hereinafter imposed. 



Sec. 6. If the bee-keeper in whose colony the foul 

 brood is discovered either by himself or an inspect- 

 or does not immediately wholly destroy said diseased 

 bees and hives, in the manner above provided, on 



the complaint of an inspector or other competent 

 person before the nearest justice of the peace of 

 the precinct in which said bee-keeper keeps his 

 bees, and on sufficient and lawful proof, he shall be 

 held liable to a tine not less than five dollars ($5.), 

 nor to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.), for the first 

 offense, and for each additional offense he shall be 

 liable to a fine not to exceed fifty dollars ($50). 



Sec. 7. To provide for the prosecution of the du- 

 ties of bee inspectors under this act, the county 

 courts are hereby authorized to appropriate such 

 sums as may be necessary for these purposes out of 

 the revenues of the several counties. 



So you see it is now law and in force, and I trust 

 that it will prove beneficial, and for the welfare of 

 apiculture in Utah, although it maybe amended in 

 several sections at the next meeting of our law ma- 

 kers. I shall do my duty as inspector of bees for 

 Salt Lake county for the next two years, to the best 

 of my ability. Geo. B. Bailey. 



Mill Creek, Utah, April 23, 1880. 



I am very glad, friend B., to see your 

 young state so in earnest in the matter, and 

 while reading over your laws, I could but 

 wish that the same thoroughness might ex- 

 tend to every state in the Union. With 

 such measures thoroughly carried out, foul 

 brood would soon be unknown. 



NOTI IS FROM THE NORTH SHAVE 

 APIARY. 



NO. 1. 



HOW TO GET PLENTY OF CHOICE QUEEN CELLS. 



FEW days before you wish to start a colony at 

 rearing cells, place a clean, white, worker 

 comb between two combs of brood in the 

 hive which contains the queen from which you wish 

 to rear queens. For convenience, we will call this 

 hive No. 1. Keep a good watch over this comb, and 

 when eggs are found mark the date on the top bar 

 of the comb, as", just three days later, these eggs 

 will be hatching, and this is the time to remove- 

 them to a queenless hive (No. 2). 



Now, in choosing a colony to build the cells, select 

 a good, strong colony of pure Italians. Hunt up the 

 queen in No. 2, and remove her, with two combs of 

 brood and bees, into a new hive on a new stand, and 

 build them up as suits you best. 



Remove from No. 2 all the combs that contain 

 brood, first shaking the bees from them; for I think 

 it a mistake to use all old bees for queen rearing. 

 Also we want them strong, to commence work on 

 the queen cells at once. 



Get empty combs enough, less one or two, to fill 

 the space made by removing the brood. Now go to 

 hive No. 1, and get the comb of hatching eggs, and 

 cut strips from it about !£ inch wide, and as long as 

 convenient to handle. Take an empty comb, and 

 place one of the strips upon it, near the top bar, and 

 parallel with it, in such a way that the cells on one 

 side of the strip will point down towards the bottom 

 bar of the frame; gently press the strip against the 

 comb, and stick one or two pins through it into the 

 comb, to help hold it in place. Use only one strip, 

 or row of strips, on each comb, and this on only one 

 side of 4 or 5 combs. Now hang the combs in the 

 hive, and push them together so as to hold the strips 

 firmly in place until the bees fasten them, taking 

 care not to crowd them too close, or they will be 

 jammed and spoiled. Hang the combs so that all 

 the strips will be on the side of the combs next to 



