212 DISEASES AND ENEMIES OF BEES 



to feed anything. It is regarded as unsafe to feed the honey from 

 hives infected with this disease, as high temperature for con- 

 siderable length of time is necessarj^ to insure death of all spores. 

 In the hands of a novice it frequently happens that the boiling is 

 not sufficiently thorough and healthy bees are thus infected. 



Treatment of American Foul Brood. — This disease is rather 

 slow in its progress, but very sure, and once a colony becomes 

 infected its final death is certain, unless the bees are removed 

 to a clean hive and the infected brood destroyed. In the hands of 

 the average bee-keeper the shaking treatment, commonly called 

 the ^IcEvoy treatment, is best. McEvoy, who was for a time 

 inspector for Ontario, was very successful in treating foul brood 

 and he it was who probably first brought successful methods of 

 treatment prominently before the public. However, the essen- 

 tials of this method were described in Europe many years before 

 the birth of McEvoy, and Quinby had also long made use of shak- 

 ing for the cure of fo\il brood in this country. 



The first essential is to remove the bees entirely from the 

 source of the disease, and they should accordingly be placed in 

 a clean hive on the old stand and the old combs, brood, and honey 

 all removed. ]\IcEvoy allowed them to build new combs for 

 four days, thus insuring that all honey carried with them would 

 be used, and then again shook them into another clean hive and 

 destroyed the combs that they had built in the meantime. The 

 second shaking is not always necessary. By using good judg- 

 ment the bee-keeper can usually tell when conditions are such 

 that a second shaking will be necessary. 



The histrudions given from the office of the Iowa Inspector 

 are as follows : 



In the evening after the bees have stopped flying, brush or shake all 

 the bees into a clean hive containing foundation starters. ]?ury or burn 

 the old combs at once, not the next day. Take great care that no honey, 

 not even the smallest drop, be exposed to the bees, or the disease may be 

 carried back or exposed to healthy colonies. 



This is essentially the instruction given for years past by 

 various State officials charged with enforcement of foul brood 



