358 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 4, 1903. 



the'^brood-chamber, and I can place two 8-frame Langstroth 

 supers on top. By turning it half around I can make a 

 packing-case of it for an 8-frame Langstroth body. 



He had filled by queens 16 Langstroth combs, the out- 

 side combs partially filled. He had received during the 

 past season 30 Langstroth combs of buckwheat honey, and 

 about 20 of clover, besides an increase of 2 colonies. 



Mr. Holtermann — The 12-frame Langstroth suits me. 

 Of course, I do not care if a man uses a 2-frame or a 20- 

 frame hive, but I think Mr. Fisher is going too far in the 

 direction of large hives. 



Mr. Fisher — I calculate to give room in the brood-cham- 

 ber only as required. 



FEEDING BEES— EXTRACTING HONEY. 



" If bees have lots of honey, should one feed ?" 



Mr. Shaver — Bruise some of the combs ; that will an- 

 swer. 



" When should honey be extracted ?" 



Some thought when two-thirds capped ; others when 

 all capped. It was pointed out that dry or wet seasons 

 made a difference, the dryer the season the sooner the 

 honey could be extracted. If the honey glistened in the 

 cells It was thought fit to extract. It was also pointed out 

 that if the bees swarmed, the fresh previously stored honey 

 might remain in the hive for quite a time and yet not be 

 ripe. 



ROBBING AND HOVST TO PREVENT. 



"How shall we prevent robbing, and how stop robbing 

 when a colony is being robbed?" 



Mr. Phelps— Close the hive ; contract the entrance of 

 weak colonies. 



A Bee-Keeper — Be careful to allow no honey about dur- 

 ing the robbing season. 



Chairman Armstrong — Have all colonies strong. 



Mr. Holtermann — Let me say if any one should be care- 

 less enough to allow a comb of honey to be exposed until 

 the bees have robbing from it well in hand, to reduce the 

 danger of robbing it is well to allow the comb to remain 

 until they empty the comb, otherwise the bees will realize 

 there was still some honey left, and, in hunting about, it 

 may lead to the attack of weak colonies. 



He had a portico with a movable screen, when present, 

 and for any reason the colony was attacked, he simply 

 stepped up to the hive and closed it from outside bees with- 

 out any danger of smothering. If bees had obtained en- 

 trance they would speedily seek to get out, running up on the 

 screen ; there they could be let out until only bees from the 

 hive remained, thus the colony could set a guard and pull 

 themselves together for defense. 



EXTRACED HONEY AND EXTRACTING. 



The care of extracted honey was taken up, the chair- 

 man pointing out that much good honey was injured by im- 

 proper care upon taking. Storage in a warm, dry room was 

 advised. 



The question : " How can we best extract in the rob- 

 bing season ?" led to the suggestion that combs should be 

 set out for the bees to clean. The danger of spreading foul 

 brood was pointed out. Prof. Harrison's opinion being 

 asked, he stated that he could not see how any one could be 

 sure that the honey left in the combs did not contain the 

 germs of foul brood, even if there was no diseased brood in 

 the brood-chamber below such combs. He would defy any 

 ordinary bee-keeper to be safe, and would advise extreme 

 caution in setting out such combs ; it would be safer not to 

 do so. It would be desirable to disinfect extracting combs 

 from season to season with formalin. The combs of from 

 200 to 300 colonies could be disinfected at an annual outlay 

 of about 20 cents. The use of medicine was more in the 

 direction of prevention of disease than a cure. 



FOUI, BROOD— HOW TO EXTERMINATE IT. 



Prof. Harrison gave an address upon the subject of foul 

 brood. He stated the dread of it in certain sections was 

 preventing the expansion of the industry. From 1893 to 

 1898 the Inspector of Apiaries found 40 percent of the api- 

 aries inspected infected. To what extent these apiaries 

 had been cured was not known, owing to the lack of system 

 in following up the treatment. 



Any one reading the bee-literature of Europe and 

 America found a great difference in the method of treatment. 

 When in Swtzerland, Germany and Italy he had tried to 

 find out why this difference existed. Monsieur Bertrand, 

 of Switzerland, had offered as a suggestion, that owing to 

 exposure in Europe the bees had become immune to the dis- 



ease ; this, however, seemed to him (Harrison) doubtful, as 

 the bees of this country were largely imported from there. 

 In Europe the methods adopted were these . 



1. The stamping out method, destroying the colo- 

 nies, combs, hives, etc. Mr. Cowan and the British Bee- 

 Keepers' Association were inclined to adopt this method. 



2. The starvation method introduced by Schirach, in 

 1769. It was to take away the combs from the bees, keep 

 the bees fasting two days, after which they were fed and 

 allowed to build other comb, which was again taken away 

 in two days. 



3. The drug cures are practiced in Europe, but not in 

 America. The bees were fed a disinfectant, which acts on 

 the spores and bacilli of foul brood. The antiseptic mate- 

 rial employed destroyed the germ. 



The best remedy had been napthol beta, in England, 

 and formic acid on the Continent. Both are disinfectants, 

 formic acid being the better of the two, being Nature's 

 remedy. This formic acid is found in honey in varying 

 proportions, more being in buckwheat honey than in clover. 

 Prof. Harrison then gave the method of applying the 

 fumes of formic acid, 10 percent formalin, 40 percent alco- 

 hol, 50 percent water, the mixture heated in a vessel, and 

 by means of a tube the vapor passed into an air-tight box 

 containing the combs. The fumes were to be left in the 

 box 12 to 24 hours. Formalin is used to disinfect rooms, 

 the fumes being very penetrating. Germs of diphtheria 

 wrapped in paper, several thicknesses, this package being 

 wrapped in a blanket, and all suspended in a room treated 

 with formalin fumes, showed that the fumes had penetrated 

 the wrappings and destroyed the germs. 



Prof. Harrison was asked to read a letter from Glean- 

 ings of Feb. 15, by C. H. W. Weber, giving the result of the 

 successful treatment of foul-broody combs. He advised ex- 

 tensive tests to be made with this method, and results ob- 

 tained. 



Wm. McEvoy, Inspector of Apiaries, gave a statement 

 in which he said the disease was almost stamped out in 

 Ontario, and that much good work had been done. There 

 was a little in one or two counties, and this would be dealt 

 with in the spring. 



Mr. Holtermann stated that he had very strong evidence 

 that there was still a great deal of foul brood in the Prov- 

 ince. In a county adjoining Brant, it was so bad that the 

 bee-keepers had given up ; some would buy neither hives 

 nor fixtures until they knew where they were. The inspec- 

 tor had been there during 1901, but had left their district 

 unattended during 1902. Bee-keepers in Brant County did 

 not know how they stood, and as far as inspection went 

 there might be a good deal in the county. He read a letter 

 from the President of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association 

 for 1902, claiming it was not on the decrease ; also one from 

 J. C. Marrison, of Simcoe County, where they wanted 

 county inspectors. The work could then be done at a more 

 seasonable time, and for less money ; he had nothing to say 

 against Mr. McEvoy, it was simply the need of other 

 methods. 



After some discussion it was moved by R. F. Holter- 

 mann, seconded by D. Phelps, that we, as bee-keepers as- 

 sembled, request the Hon. John Dryden, that the operations 

 of the Foul Brood Act be so arranged that Prof. Harrison, 

 of the Ontario Agricultural College, of Guelph, would be 

 recognized as a Government official, who could investigate 

 and test the results of treatment of foul-broody apiaries. 

 Carried. 



It was also moved by Mr. Holtermann, and seconded by 

 Israel Overholt, that we as bee-keepers assembled, ask the 

 Hon. John Dryden that the Foul Brood Act be amended 

 so that wherever there is a county or district bee-keepers' 

 association, that said association have the privilege of 

 appointing a local inspector of apiaries, subject to the ap- 

 proval of the Minister of Agriculture, the terms of remunera- 

 tion to be fixed by the Minister, said inspector to be paid 

 out of the Provincial grant for the Inspector of Apiaries. 

 Carried. 



The question was asked, if it was thought desirable 

 that Mr. G. C. Creelman, Superintendent of Farmers' In- 

 stitutes and Secretary of Associations, should be made sec- 

 retary of the Association. 



After a brief discussion, in which the majority expressed 

 themselves as thoroughly in favor of such a move, it was 

 moved by J. Feather, seconded by D. Phelps, that we as 

 bee-keepers, avail ourselves of the privilege of recommend- 

 ing Mr. G. C. Creelman, B. S. A., Secretary of Associations, 

 Department of Agriculture, Toronto, as Secretary of the 

 Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, and that said resolution 

 be forwarded to the director of this district, to present to 



