216 



DISEASES AND ENEMIES OF BEES 



Authorities are not agreed as to the method of spread of this 

 disease. That it is not spread altogether in the honey as is 

 American foul brood is evidenced bv the fact that strong colonies 

 with vigorous young Italian queens frequently clean out the 

 infection and that it docs not reappear in the hive. In the case 

 of a colony affected with American foul bro(id the final death of 

 the colony seems assured unless the last trace of the diseased 

 brood and honey is removed. While some authorities for a time 

 insisted on shaking in treating for European foul brood the same 



Fio. 104. — Thirteen colonies left of one hundred five aa the result of European foul 

 brood for eight months. 



as for American, shaking is no longer advised in tlie treat- 

 ment of this disease. It is now well known that the destruc- 

 tion of combs and honey is not necessary in dealing with 

 European foul brood. 



One striking peculiarity of this disease soon becomes appar- 

 ent to an inspector ; when it appears in a malignant form it is 

 usually to be found in every colony in a yard within a short 

 period of time. While American foul brood may be present 

 in a yard for months without spreading, European foul brood 

 frequently, though not always, spreads very rapidly and appears 

 in all colonies very quickly. Cases have come under the writer's 

 observation, where no disease had been present in a locality, 

 European foul brood suddenly appeared in nearly every colony 



