THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



47 



mer contributions. In that case the diseased 

 worms or larviv do not always die, but fre- 

 quently go through the full transformation 

 into moths, and these moths lay eggs, but 

 these eggs are found to be also infected, and 

 give birth to diseased worms. 



Taking all into consideration, we see now 

 that the bee paralysis spores must be trans- 

 ferred from the diseased to the healthy bees. 

 The bacilli develop in the body of the dis- 

 eased bees chiefly in the blood, as Cheshire 

 claims, from thence they escape (after being 

 transformed into spores), when the bees die, 

 or rather from their dead bodies, probably 

 by the millions. From there they float in 

 the air uutil they stick to some honey or 

 something, and are swallowed by some other 

 bees that become diseased in their turn. It 

 is possible, however, that the dejections of 

 the diseased bees also contain bacilli and 

 spores, and are also a source of contamina- 

 tion. It is also possible, and even probable, 

 that some of the spores find their way into 

 the healthy bees' bodies through the respira- 

 tory organs. 



Another source of contamination is possi- 

 bly the honey itself. While the disease re- 

 sides chiefly in the blood, yet bacilli are also 

 found in the other parts of the body, and 

 when the disease is far advanced, the whole 

 body is full of bacilli, even the ovaries of the 

 diseased queens. When we consider that the 

 bees are constantly swallowing and disgorg- 

 ing honey, handling it one to another, trans- 

 ferring it from one cell to another all the 

 ti lie, we readily see that whenever bacilli 

 are in the digestive apparatus of the diseased 

 bees, they will shortly be transferred to some 

 other bees, or to the larvse that they are 

 feeding. 



A third and last source of contamination 

 is, as pointed above, through the eggs of the 

 queen. 



Summing up, we have to destroy the 

 spores or bacilli under three conditions, viz : 



1st. The spores floating in the air or 

 sticking to the combs or the walls of the 

 hives, etc. 



2ud. The spores or bacilli contained in 

 the living but diseased bees, as these may be 

 transferred to other bees through the honey, 

 and more than that, these bees' dejections, 

 or their dead bodies, are also a source of con- 

 tagion. In a word, we must also treat the 

 bees themselves. 



3rd. Replacing the diseased queens by 

 healthy ones. 



We will now go over the possible remedies, 

 as follows : 



1st. As to the spores floating in the air, 

 etc. Sulphur has been tried. There is no 

 doubt that sulphur will de^stroy every spore 

 that it touches, but it is readily seen that one 

 or two spoonfuls of sulphur dusted in a hive 

 cannot possibly reach the spores anywhere 

 and everywhere in the hive, especially those 

 floating in the air. Spraying with some an- 

 tiseptic would be much better, but this is 

 objectionable. Fumigating with salicylic 

 acid (see Cheshire and Laugstroth Revised), 

 I think would be much surer, as the fumes 

 would certainly reach ever.\ where. There is 

 further this much more in favor of fumigat- 



ing, that is, it may also cure the diseased 

 bees. The bacilli are chiefly found in the 

 blood, and the fumes of the burnt acid come 

 really closer to the blood through the res- 

 piratory organs than the remedies adminis- 

 tered through the digestive apparatus can 

 possibly do. In fact, all those who have 

 tried the fumigating process on foul brood, 

 say that it is more efl'ectual than feeding and 

 spraying. Some substitutes have been re- 

 ported successful (I am referring to foul 

 brood) ; one is simply to put some pieces of 

 camphor in the hive, and trust to the evap- 

 orated champhor to do the fumigating. An- 

 other German apiarist advises the use of car- 

 bolic acid mixed with some wood-tar (I 

 suppose he means creosote), and spread the 

 same on a piece of felt, put the felt under 

 the combs, covering it with something that 

 would prevent the bees from sticking to it, 

 and yet not prevent its evaparation. 



2nd. Treating the diseased bees. That 

 is, feeding with medicated food. Many 

 drugs have been tried on foul brood. Sali- 

 cylic acid, carbolic acid, oil of eucalyptus, 

 lysol: camphorated alcohol, formic acid. etc. 

 The majority of them have the disadvantage 

 of a very bad taste, and are difiicult to ad- 

 minister for that reason. Some cost too 

 much. Salicylic acid would probably be pref- 

 erable to the others. I would have it dis- 

 solved in alcohol rather than mixed with 

 borax. The mixing with borax transforms 

 the acid into salicylic of soda, which is far 

 less effectual than the acid — at least it has 

 been found so when applied to human dis- 

 eases. Formic acid has been reported very 

 effectual, and has the advantage of not being 

 objectionable to the bees, but it costs too 

 much. I, somehow, doubt its efiicacy. For- 

 mic acid is contained in bees and their hon- 

 ey, and if it were such a good cure, bees would 

 never be sick. I do not know whether any- 

 body has tried quinine, but it is certainly 

 worth trying. 



Remember, that the above remedies were 

 tried on foul brood, but as foul brood and 

 bee paralysis are produced by bacilli very 

 similar, it is probable that whatever drugs 

 will kill one kind, will also kill the other. 



3rd. Removing the queens. The difficul- 

 ty is the cost, and, besides, there would be a- 

 question where to get queens that might be 

 insured to be absolutely sound. Worse than 

 that, a healthy queen introduced into a dis- 

 eased colony would soon become diseased, 

 and be no better than one reared by the col- 

 ony itself. On the other hand, it is not 

 probable that a queen lays infected eggs un- 

 til she is herself in a far advanced stage of 

 the disease, so by re-queening frequently — 

 say twice, or perhaps three times during the 

 year — the contamination from the queens 

 would eventually be eliminated, that is, pro- 

 vided the other sources of disease should 

 also be destroyed during that time. 



As to salt, coffee, etc., I have to say that 

 they are of no value in treating human dis- 

 eases, and probable no more effective on bee 

 diseases. 



Destroying the whole outfit is out of the 

 question. Where could we get bees to re- 

 place ours that could be insared as sound, 



