SKPTKMBKR 1',, 1915 



751 



GENERAL CO: 



.PONDENCE 



DIFFERENT VIEWS OF FOUL -BROOD DON'TS 



BY G. C. GPiElNER 



In a foi'mer number of Gleanings a 

 beekeeper from the West gives a list of 

 " Don'ts " wliit^h he considers a safeguard 

 against foul brood. Some of his points are 

 all riglil, but others I cannot endorse with- 

 out some remonstrance. The limited space 

 of an article of this kind forbids replying 

 in detail to the different features his 'don'ts' 

 cover, although it would give me great 

 pleasure to do so. 



Our friend advises " burning all diseased 

 hives unless there is a large percentage of 

 the apiary infected." Why does he make 

 this dilference in the number of hives in- 

 fected? If it is advisable or necessary- to 

 burn a few, would it not be more so wliea 

 a large portion of the apiarj' is in the same 

 condition? It may be the least trouble, 

 causin? the owner less work to commit liis 

 liives to the consuming flames than spend- 

 ing time in cleaning them up; but it is also 

 the most wasteful. From experience I know 

 that infected hives can be easily prepared 

 for future use without the least danger of 

 detrimental eo!isecjuenees. 



A day or two after I had finished treating 

 my last foul-broody colonies four years 

 ago,* our foul-brood inspector called on me 

 in his inspecting-tour; and while looking 

 over the rows of liives with their rotten con- 

 tents our discussion naturally turned to the 

 question of what best to do with the rotten 

 mess. Of course I had decided to burn all 

 the contents of the hives, but felt somewhat 

 undecided about the hives. It seemed like a 

 jjiliful waste to see the work of former 

 years so ruthlessly annihilated, to say noth- 

 ing of the material, unless it was strictly 

 necessary. Here is where Mv. Stephen, the 

 inspector, came to the rescue. He suggest- 

 ed two methods — either scorch the inside of 

 tile hi\ps with a gasoline torch or tiiorough- 

 ly scrape and liberally paint with kerosene. 

 I decided on the latter treatment, because 

 the scraping alone would make them me- 

 chanically as good as new. 



One evening, after all danger from flying 

 Iiees had passed, I burned the frames and 

 combs; and to make a clean sweep I moved 

 the hives into my cari)enter shop where [ 

 securely closed them up against all possible 

 access of robbers. Dunng the winter T 

 did the disinfecting. After scraping every 



* We nssunic '•'at our rorrespondent is talking 

 about Amorican foul brood. 



particle of inside surface thoroughly 1 gave 

 thou a soaking coat of kerosene, using a 

 large flat brush for this purpose, which 

 made them practically as good as new. 1 

 use these very hives to-day. 



LETTIN(i r.EES CLEAN OUT EXTK ACTING-COMBS. 



Then our western friend advises not to 

 set out extracting-combs for robbers to 

 clean up. It may not be strictly necessary 

 to let bees clean out extracting-combs be- 

 fore storing them for winter, but it is pref- 

 erable. The honey remaining in the combs 

 after the last extracting will granulate; and 

 when mixed with the next crojD it will hast- 

 en its gianulation. During the early part 

 of the season bees will clean out this granu- 

 lated honey before storing the new; but 

 when honey comes with a rush they have 

 not the time to do it. If our friend objects 

 to letting bees clean extracting-combs on 

 the ground that it is liable to spread the 

 disease, I am inclined to think he is more 

 scared than hurt. I have practiced the 

 same plan for fifteen or twenty years, and 

 see no reason Avhy 1 should break off now. 

 Of course, it must be done in the right way, 

 and we must be suce that there is no disease 

 in the yard. 



The one-bee-passage plan, as advised by 

 some of our most prominent beekeepers, 

 does not engage bee nature to the best ad- 

 vantage. It defeats our object in more 

 than one way. Instead of assisting our bees 

 in the performance of a certain function 

 we hamper them all we can. It only gives 

 the stronger portion of the bees engaged 

 the advantage over the weaker ones; and 

 the latter, when dri^'en away or crowded 

 back, will try to enter some other hive, 

 possibly a weak or queenless one, where 

 their piesence is not desired. Even if no 

 vicious robbing is noticed, peaceable rob- 

 bing, as we generally call it, is liable to be 

 started. And tliis is not strange; for the 

 beekeeper's OAvn mismanagement has taught 

 them the trick. The stinging inclination, 

 which we always notice when bees are rob- 

 bing, is caused in this way. Those bees tiiat 

 aie crowded back are not so willing to give 

 up. They know by scent and general dis- 

 turbance that honey is being found; and, 

 being excited and de])rived of the privilege 

 of partaking themselves, tliey vent their 

 spite on anything they run across. 



Besides teaching bees to figiit, and fight 



