AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



64T 



Old Ilee Journals.— We have quite 

 a number of old copies of the " American 

 Bee Journal," extending back perphaps 10 

 years. We will send these out at one cent a 

 copy, all to be different dates, and back of 

 Jan. 1, 1894. Remember they are odd num- 

 bers, and you must let us select them. We 

 cannot furnish them in regular order, that 

 is, one or two months' numbers without a 

 break, but will mail you as many single or 

 odd copies as you may wish, upon receipt 

 of the number of cents you want to invest 

 in them. They will be fine reading for the 

 long winter evenings, and many a single 

 copy is worth a whole years' subscription. 

 Better send for ten or more copies, as a 

 sample order. Only a cent a copy, back of 

 Jan. 1, 1894. 



Paralysis Called <jasti-alg-ia.— 



In a recent issue of the "Farmers' Voice," 

 we find the following learned (?) diagnosis 

 of what bee-keepers have come to call 

 " bee-paralysis:" 



GASTRALGIA IN BEES. 



While reading the "Farmers' Voice " of 

 Sept. 29, I saw an article published therein 

 written by a correspondent to the "Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal," giving his ideas as a 

 diagnosis of bee-paralysis, which is without 

 foundation. So far as I can ascertain from 

 the symptoms he has given while explain- 

 ing the disease in his bees, they are sufi'er- 

 ing from gastralgia, caused by unhealthy 

 locations and unclean hives. Bee-hives, as 

 ■well as horse-stables, need attention and 

 the best of care. They should be kept 

 clean and well odorized at all times. In 

 order to do this, one should have a good 

 supply of hives on hand ready for use at a 

 moment's notice, should they be needed, so 

 that the same hives vacated by the swarms 

 this year are not needed to be put into use 

 right away. Instead, they should be left to 

 stand filled with the best of unslacked lime 

 for several months, after which they should 

 be well cleansed with good strong lye, and 

 put into shape for habitation. Then put 

 them in a good dry place until needed 

 again the next season. 



Gastralgia in bees is caused by a gas 

 germinated from an unclean condition of 

 the hives, together with allowing them to 

 stand on low lands where dampness is con- 

 fined. In the above case the hives become 

 filled with fermentation, although too light 

 to be detected by the keeper without the 

 proper means prepared for that purpose, 

 yet enough to work upon the newly made 

 honey creating a gas of a poisonous nature 

 ■wbich rises among the bees while they are 

 at work, stupifying them and finally re- 

 sulting in destroying the whole apiary of 

 bees. 



Some persons have asked if it becomes 

 contagious, and if the disease will convey 



itself to healthy apiaries, infesting them 

 with the same, and whether or not the bees 

 will undergo the same changes accordingly 

 with the changes of breeding and weather. 

 I will answer yes. Nothing but getting rid 

 of all your old bees and hives and starting 

 anew upon a different location of ground 

 and adopting the rules given in this article 

 will ever give you success in raising bees. 

 W. P. Haines. 



This article, taken from an agricultural 

 paper, will be of interest (?) to the readers 

 of the "American Bee Journal." While 

 there has been much anxiety among the bee- 

 papers to know what to do with bee-para- 

 lysis, the matter is now entirely settled! 

 And there was no necessity for a personal 

 investigation. All that was necessary was 

 to hear the symptoms. Bee-paralysis is 

 nothing more or less than gastralgia, and 

 that is caused by a gas that is "germi- 

 nated." 



Unfortunately, there's no cure short of 

 " getting rid of all your old bees and hives, 

 and starting anew upon a different location 

 of ground." Particulars are not given as 

 to the method of "getting rid." But if 

 your bees have bee-paralysis, or rather 

 gastralgia, you must clean out your whole 

 apiary in some way, either by selling to 

 your neighbor or burning up the whole 

 business. Otherwise " the hives become 

 filled with fermentation," " enough to work 

 upon the newly made honey," " finally re- 

 sulting in destroying the whole apiary." 

 Then after you've got rid of all the old 

 outfit, buy new, and set on new ground. 

 Uncertainty prevails as to where the " new 

 location of ground " shall be, whether sev- 

 eral rods away from the old location, or on 

 new ground between the places where the 

 old hives stood. 



To prevent the inroads of this scourge, 

 as soon as a colony swarms, the hive from 

 which it issued must be " odorized " by 

 filling it full of unslacked lime. Just what 

 is to be done with the bees and combs that 

 remained in the hive, is not stated. At any 

 rate, fill it with lime, and if the bees don't 

 like it, they can get out of the way ! 



Isn't here a hint for Dr. Peiro ? If a 

 human subject is sufi'ering with gastralgia, 

 fill him up with the best of unslacked lime 

 for several months, and then clean him out 

 with good strong lye ! 



One-Cent Postag^e Stamps we 



prefer whenever it is necessary to send 

 stamps for fractions of a dollar. By re- 

 membering this, you will greatly oblige us. 



