AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 465 



rapidly when exposed to the air, and when the air is shut out, as by sealing the 

 brood-cells, they are deprived of the oxygen necessary to their growth, and fermen- 

 tation obtains, thus destroying the sealed pupa. 



A familiar illustration is noticed in the souring of milk, or cream ; while the 

 cream is exposed to the air, or frequently stirred to admit the oxygen from the 

 atmosphere, souring is hindered. The chemical change is the result of the growth 

 of a microscopic organism of the same origin as yeast, and like common yeast, re- 

 quires oxygen for its development — this it gathers from the air, if the latter have 

 access ; but in the absence of air, as when growing in milk, or in the " yeast batter " 

 of the baker, decomposition of the milk (its sugar) and lactic acid obtains. When 

 the " batter " of the baker is made into dough, the oxygen is excluded, and decompo- 

 sition takes place, and fermentation is the result, and the bread is said to " rise ;" 

 stirring or agitation causes it to " fall." 



I mention this familiar illustration so that it may be made plain how fermenta- 

 tion is produced, and to show how this process may be destructive to animal life. 



I have had this " new disease" (?) under consideration during the present sea- 

 son, and out of several careful examinations I have not found a single specimen of 

 bacillus alvei ; I have it still in my laboratory, under culture and investigation, and 

 may arrive at something definite, which may be of interest to bee-keepers. I will 

 give the readers of the American Bee Journal the results of my investigations. 

 This is possibly McEvoy's " foul brood " from rotten brood. A careful reading of 

 Proposition II, in my work on " Foul Brood," will give a clear understanding of this 

 disease. Ft. Worth, Tex. 



SOMH OF THE PAST SEASON'S " KIIVKS." 



BY F. L. THOMPSON. 



Weak Colonies and Nuclei. — I had a weak colony last spring. By the time 

 the honey-flow came, they had but two frames of brood, and barely enough bees to 

 cover them. I did not want to spread the brood, and so placed a dry comb next to 

 it, and moved the honey-combs back (which had been filled with feed honey by other 

 colonies), thinking that now they would develop. Instead of that, they promptly 

 plugged up every cell of it with new honey. Then I moved that back and put in an 

 empty frame with a starter. This they built out and filled mostly with brood, and 

 subsequent frames in like manner, until they became strong enough to swarm. 

 Query : What would have happened if I had let them alone ? Wanted : An article 

 on all the " kinks " in developing nuclei and weak colonies after the flow has begun. 

 Is not a large proportion of an apiary run on the let-alone plan, all weak swarms 

 saved, etc., apt to become honey-bound? 



Late or Early Breeding. — One ten-frame colony did not begin to breed until 

 after April 1st — I forget just when. In a very short time it had four frames of 

 brood, and when the honey-flow began it had eight, and not long after cast a strong 

 swarm. Bees here usually begin very early, and increase gradually. It is still an 

 unsettled question when breeding should begin. It depends upon locality, of course; 

 but are there not some absolute principles about it ? The weight of authority seems 

 to be in favor of late breeding, if the old bees are not too near their end. 



Anointing Frame Edges. — Having a number of new combs to be built this 

 year, I anointed the edges of some 50 closed-end frames with an inferior quality of 

 machine oil. (Not patient enough to wait to get vaseline.) It was a particular job 

 to keep such stuff from spreading too much, and it did not smell very nice. But the 



