370 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 15 



shavings, or sawdust; but the last two, if 

 used, must be dry; or if a cushion to fit the 

 super is preferred, the space around the sides 

 of the hive should be filled up, and the colony 

 will be ready to swarm by the first of May. 

 Jersey Shore, Pa. L. E. Scherer. 



[You say "absorbing cushions will never 

 get damp between the cushion and the cover 

 of the hive." There must be a great differ- 

 ence in localities, for here at Medina we 

 tested this thing for over thirty years. Be- 

 fore the sealed-cover idea came to the front 

 we had a great deal of trouble with wet 

 cushions, especially during spring. In every 

 one of these cases there was a large amount 

 of air-space between the cushion and cover; 

 and, besides that, there were means for ven- 

 tilation in the cover itself. During late 

 years we have adopted the sealed cover — 

 that is, a thin board placed right on top of 

 the brood-nest, which the bees seal down. 

 Over this is placed a tray containing pack- 

 ing or cushion. Since adopting the sealed 

 cover we do not find it necessary to pull out 

 the cushions and dry them on warm sunny 

 days; but with the old absorbing cushions 

 we used to have them wet by the hundreds, 

 and sometimes frozen. 



We then conducted a series of experiments, 

 putting half the bees on absorbing cushions 

 and half under sealed covers. As our older 

 readers will remember, the latter came out 

 ahead. 



Our own experience here at Medina is not 

 the only one, for we often receive letters 

 from our readers who are having the same 

 trouble with wet cushions under a sealed 

 cover; and these cushions are not wet be- 

 cause there is no space between them and 

 the hive, either. — Ed.] 



DISINFECTING INFECTED COMBS VTITH FORM- 

 ALIN GAS. 



In anticipating the work in the apiary the 

 coming season, some of us are reminded that 

 the germs of foul brood have been lurking 

 around among our bees, and that we must 

 take every precaution to defeat them in 

 further destruction. 



As for myself, I have several hundred emp- 

 ty extracting and brood combs, all of which 

 are entirely free of honey, brood, and pollen, 

 and which are dry, and have been so for a 

 year. Some of these combs have had black 

 or European foul brood in them, but, to the 

 naked eye, are as bright and clean as any 

 comb can be. 



In the Bee-keepers' Review for 1904, page 

 152, Mr. E. W. Alexander gives a method of 

 formalin fumigation which he says was quite 

 successful in saving European (black) foul- 

 broody combs, but not American foul-broody 

 combs. Three years have passed since Mr. 

 Alexander wrote his experience, and I should 

 like to ask whether such treatment is recom- 

 mended now as being successful. 



I also notice a statement by Mr. Adrian 

 Getaz, American Bee Journal, 1907, p. 689, 

 as follows: "The experiments made a few 

 years ago by Dr. Howard show that the spores 



of the foul-brood bacilli do not resist the sun- 

 light and open air more than a day or two. 

 That explains why the hives contaminated 

 do not need disinfecting. The spores ihey 

 contain are soon destroyed by being exposed 

 to the open air." Is this the accepted theo- 

 ry? and if so, why would not the spores of 

 black brood be dead that have been on these 

 perfectly dry combs for a year that I speak 

 of above? I have melted up all combs that 

 were badly diseased, or that contained a sin- 

 gle cell of brood or pollen; but I do not want 

 to melt these nice dry combs if fumigating 

 will answer, and I do not want to fumigate 

 if a year's airing and drying have killed the 

 spores. 'Wallace Mays. 



Benton Harbor, Mich., Feb. 6. 



[The use of formalin for disinfecting combs, 

 and even suspected diseased brood, was dis- 

 cussed a couple of years ago in all the bee- 

 journals. Some favorable results were re- 

 corded, but there were enough failures to 

 lead us to believe that it was not wise to de- 

 pend upon such means of disinfection; but 

 we see no objection to applying the fumes 

 of the gas upon clean dry combs such as you 

 speak of; but such combs should be confined 

 in a hermetically sealed box or chamber. 

 An ordinary wooden box with a lid is not 

 tight enough. If a wooden chamber be used 

 it should be made close enough to hold wa- 

 ter. Then the gas should be applied full 

 strength for the time prescribed. 



We doubt if the formalin gas would dis- 

 infect combs affected with the American (old- 

 fashioned) foul brood, for the reason that 

 the dead matter clings to the sides of the 

 cells like so much glue. The microbes under 

 this covering can not be reached by the gas, 

 and hence it would be a waste of time to em- 

 ploy it on such combs; but we think it might 

 be applied to advantage upon those which 

 possibly have been in hives contaminated 

 with European foul (black) brood. 



We would not, in the case of hives that 

 actually contained infected colonies, rely up- 

 on the air treatment for disinfection. It is 

 the work of but a few moments to throw a 

 lot of loose dry straw into a hive, set fire to 

 it, then stir the straw while ablaze, so that 

 the flame reaches every portion of the hive 

 as well as the cover. The moment the flame 

 blackens the wood in every portion, throw 

 in a cup of water and clap on the cover. We 

 know that sunlight and air are wonderful 

 germicides; but in the case of a disease so 

 serious as American or European foul brood 

 we would advise disinfection of the hives 

 as above stated. — Ed.] 



HOW TO LIQUEFY BULK COMB HONEY IN 

 PAILS. 



On page 88 Louis SchoU says he can not 

 melt chunk honey in pails after it is granu- 

 lated, without melting the combs. I sell all 

 of my comb honey in friction-top pails, and 

 when cool weather comes the extracted hon- 

 ey that is poured over the combs will granu- 

 late. To melt this I set the pail of honey in 

 a large pan of warm water. The water must 



