774 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 3, 1903. 



they were black enough ! They had been used for years, but 

 the frames the owner wanted to save. Adjoining there was 

 a sawmill. I went down to the mill, found a vat where we 

 could attach a steam-pipe to. I made arrangements there 

 to have that vat and all the exhaust steam we wanted from 

 the boiler. (I have been so accustomed to getting every- 

 body around to help rae.) I got up into the wagon, where I 

 could superintend it, and handed those frames, one at a 

 time, to a man who dropped them into the tank, where a 

 man on the other side with a stick would stir them around, 

 and the wax was almost immediately melted, and then he 

 would throw those frames out into a pile. Those frames 

 we put foundation in, and put them back into the hives. 



Grenville J. Lynn — Twelve years ago this last winter I 

 bought an apiary, and in the spring, when I went to look 

 at it, I found a number of cases of foul brood. I was like 

 some of these bee-keepers seem to be. I did not %vant to 

 destroy the nice, white combs. I had a little correspond- 

 ence with Prof. Cook, and he cautioned me against using 

 any of it in the hives, or the hives either, until they were 

 thoroughly cleansed. At that time Prof. Cook thought the 

 best way to purify the hive was to air it. I did so. How- 

 ever, I found some very white combs that had been used for 

 rearing brood. My father prevailed upon me to put three 

 of these combs in separate hives and mark them. Just 

 about the time the brood was being capped up, in each one 

 of these frames or combs, the foul brood developed. I would 

 like to ask. Why vfas that ? Was that some outside condi- 

 tion ? This was after I had cleaned out all the foul brood 

 in the apiary, and I had taken pains to carry every hive 

 into my estracting-house. I would not open a hive in the 

 yard — took them all into the house ; shook them out accord- 

 ing to Prof. Cook's plan, and now the 37 colonies that I 

 transferred I do not know of a single one to go back to foul 

 brood except those three that I put those three white combs 

 into ; the foul brood appeared in those combs, and those 

 only. Now, then, where did it come from, if it was not in 

 those dry, white combs ? There was not a particle of honey, 

 nor brood, nor anything on that comb that I put in — just 

 simply the dry comb. Since then I have had a good deal of 

 experience. 



Mr. France — Did you first put those bees on the starva- 

 tion plan before they had those dry combs ? 



Mr. Lynn — No, sir, I did not. I was working under 

 Prof. Cook's instructions, and I was going to " give him 

 fits" if I failed. So I simply carried my hive into the 

 extracting-house. If I found foul brood in that hive I shook 

 the bees out about two feet from the ground. If I found 

 the queen I caged her because I didn't have any bees to lose. 

 Then, if there was any muss made there I would brush 

 that away, and let them crawl right in on that clean foun- 

 dation. I dipped the hive in boiling water for about two 

 minutes: I found that was long enough to melt all the 

 honey, and I was careful, very careful, never to touch the in- 

 side of the hive, or touch the frame in any way at all, from 

 the fact that I had to handle them when I knew they were 

 infected with foul brood. I would take them out with a 

 stick, and then go into the house and wash my hands thor- 

 oughly with soap. Prof. Cook says wash them with some- 

 thing stronger. So I put them out on the old hive on the 

 comb fouudation. I want to say this : I kept one colony 

 that I had kept for ten, yes, eleven years, and there was no 

 foul brood ever developed in those hives I ever treated at all. 



Mr. France — When did you get those foul combs — that 

 colony that you have treated — when did you. give them the 

 new combs ? 



Mr. Lynn — They had filled them the season before ? 



Mr. France — What was in the hive when those bees 

 went in ? 



Mr. Lynn — The comb foundation. Let me explain 

 this : The hives that I put those three combs into were 

 colonies that I had shaken out, and the bees had crawled in 

 on the full sheets of comb foundation. They had built up 

 their combs. In each case, I marked them so I could make 

 no mistake. Then, as soon as the comb was capped, foul 

 brood appeared, and it did not appear in any of the other 

 hives. I was convinced, from information I had secured 

 from Prof. Cook, that I was treading on dangerous ground 

 if I used any combs in the apiary from infected hives. 

 And these were the only ones I did use, except where I 

 found them in the supers from healthy brood. If I found a 

 hive where the bees had died out, no matter how white the 

 combs were, I melted them up and got new foundation. 



Prof. Cook — I do not like this discussion. It reminds 

 me of the old coachmen's story. When asked how near he 

 could drive to a precipice and not go over, one answered, 

 " Six inches ;" another said, "Three inches;" but the one 



who said he would keep as far away from danger as possi- 

 ble was the one who was engaged. Now, in dealing with 

 foul brood, I would keep just as far away from danger as I 

 could. When you are " monkeying " with anything like 

 this disease, I think j'ou are making a great blunder. If 

 we have diphtheria in our homes, we have learned to be 

 very careful to prevent its spreading. We know of these 

 bacterial diseases, and do not fool with them. Suppose you 

 rati save a few combs. I do not like these questions. I 

 would say, " Don't take any chances at all 1" [Applause.] 

 From my own experience and observation that is what I 

 feel like saying. I think I have written thousands of let- 

 ters in which I have taken this ground. 



Dr. Miller— There is sometimes a little danger that 

 hastily you may go too far to one side or the other. That is 

 perfectly safe advice as far as the disease is concerned. If 

 I find a colony afflicted with foul brood, todestroy the whole 

 thing. Would you save the bees. Professor ? 



Prof. Cook — Yes, I think I can save the bees without 

 taking any chances. 



Dr. Mi.ler — I would not take any chances on the bees if 

 I had only one colony. I would burn the whole thing, root 

 and branch. It is an easy thing with me, when I have only 

 one colony, to burn up bees and everything ; all my tools 

 and my assistant — but I don't know where I would get 

 another I But when it comes to having a whole apiary, 

 that is a different matter. 



Prof. Cook says I can safely save the bees. Thank you 

 for that concession. Here is another man, McEvoy, who 

 says I can save the hives. Somebody else says I can save 

 the frames. I would like to save all I can when it comes to 

 the large numbers. Now, we are not certain jet whether 

 we can save the combs or not. If I can feel as safe ii. sav- 

 ing the combs as I can the bees, I would like to. Mind 

 you, I don't know ! I would like to, if I can. There is 

 pretty good authority. Prof. Harrison, of the Ontario 

 Agricultural College, says that he has tried fumigating the 

 germs of bacteria in the combs for that, and there has been 

 no development. Now, I don't know whether that can be 

 entirely relied upon without some further trial. It does not 

 look to me very reasonable. Mr. France says he would 

 hardly feel safe in assuming that the germs would te killed 

 under the pollen. I believe the formalin would work 

 through pollen quicker than through the honey. But yet, 

 he says under the pollen the germs have not been killed. It 

 is just possible, is it not, that he maybe right? If he is 

 right about that, thousands and thousands of dollars may 

 be saved in the combs. Let us find out first whether there 

 may be any safety in that. Why not? Prof. Cook has 

 given you the safe thing, but if you carry the thing to the 

 extreme, you will not even save the bees. Let us find out 

 how far we can go in safety. If you take that ground too 

 solidly, you would never make any progress. Let us try if 

 there is something further that we can save. 



George M. Wood — I wish to say something on cleaning 

 out frames. I think you will all find it a very correct and 

 true process. It is a home process, and one that will never 

 fail. Hot water, and anything you may put in it is all 

 right. Fire alone will save them better. 1 put one or two 

 frames on a pile, and I have some old timber ready to burn. 

 I hold the frames over the fire, and the wax will boil like 

 oil. When they commence to singe the frame, wait just a 

 little and swing it out, the air will put out the flame. Now, 

 when this wax ceases to boil, and the wood begins to burn, 

 the germ is killed, and it will never revive. Then throw 

 them off. But first, never touch them until you are sure 

 your hands are clean ; and your frames are as good as new. 

 If hot water will save them in two or three minutes boil- 

 ing, this heating in a flame of fire is far superior. It does 

 not cost anything ; it does not destroy your frames. 



B. S. Taylor — I believe this is a vital question to South- 

 ern California, and I am a good deal like the superintend- 

 ent of the plant was two years ago. I was building a house 

 for an electric plant ; I was afraid, and I asked him if there 

 was any possible danger. " Not a particle," he said ; " but 

 I advise you to be extremely cautious." I have seen this foul 

 brood spreading so much through carelessness. I have 

 burned up a number of colonies ; I believe we want to be 

 very cautious. • 



Mr. Harbison— I fully agree with Prof. Cook in the 

 matter of heroic treatment. As I stated to you last night, 

 I had a bitter experience in '59 and '60 with foul brood, and 

 since that time I have had no further experience in that 

 line, because I wiped it out. Save your hives and your 

 frames by thoroughly boiling from five minutes to half an 

 hour. Be sure your water is thoroughly boiling. You can 



