J 896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



451 



hunger, I experimented with extensively at one time and 

 found that while it has no advantage in any particular over 

 the method I now recommend, it is subject to several weighty 

 objections. 



The method of cure by the administration of drugs, once 

 recommended by high authority, is not practical, even if it 

 ever really effected a cure, and yet drugs have a place in the 

 management of the disease. To prevent the spread of the 

 infection when opening the hives and handling the combs of 

 colonies having the disease, Benton recommends a solution of 

 }i ounce of corrosive sublimate in one gallon of water, to be 

 used to wash thoroughly the hands and all tools used about 

 the hive before opening another hive. If for any reason the 

 treatment of a colony must be delayed, I have found a prep- 

 aration of }-4 ounce of salicylic acid dissolved in one ounce of 

 alcohol and well mixed in one pint of water, and this added to 

 rather thin syrup or honey for feeding at the rate of one pint 

 to four quarts, and then given freely to the colony, has a sur- 

 prising effect upon the disease and the bees in thoroughly 

 checking — not curing — the former and increasing the pros- 

 perity of the latter. One part of carbolic acid or plienol to 

 about 600 parts of such food, syrup or honey is recommended 

 for the same purpose. It is reasonable to suppose that if this 

 sort of feeding prevents the increase of the disease within the 

 hive, as it certainly does, it would certainly prevent its spread 

 to other colonies — a very desirable thing. 



It is of the highest importance that every one who keeps 

 bees should become thoroughly acquainted with the character- 

 istics of the disease under consideration in so far as that 

 acquaintance may be had from the description of those who 

 have had experience with it, that he may recognize it at once 

 if it should invade his domain. Prompt efforts on its first ap- 

 pearance would be by far the most effective. Especially 

 should every colony lacking in activity or any other sign of 

 waning prosperity be carefully examined. On the first ap- 

 pearance of the scourge, before the honey containing the 

 spores is scattered through the apiary by robbing or careless 

 handling, it should be stamped out by the most thorough 

 measures. This will be found the cheapest course. Burning 

 utterly every affected colony at this stage, hive, combs and 

 bees, letting no bee escape, will in the end be more profitable 

 than a good crop of honey with traces of the disease retained. 

 In connection the antiseptic food preparation hereinbefore 

 described should be administered freely to every colony and 

 every attention given to the destruction of every particle of 

 the virus. If by ignorance, robbing, or carelessness, many 

 colouies have become affected, then curative measures would 

 probably be preferable, but no less care in mastering direc- 

 tions, and intelligence and energy in applying them, should be 

 exercised than though there were a prospect of the immediate 

 eradication of the disease by more drastic measures. — Review. 



Lapeer, Mich. 



[Remember that Dr. Howard's book on foul brood we 

 mail for 2.5 cents, or it will be sent with the American Bee 

 Journal one year — both together for ^1.10. Send all orders 

 to the Bee Journal office. — Ed.] 



^ 



A Prolific Colouy of Bees. 



BY WM. S. BARCLAY. 



If it interests our brother bee-keepers as much to read of 

 a prosperous colony of bees as it does myself, I shall not have 

 written its description in vain. 



On May 28, 1895, I hived a very large natural swarm of 

 bees, giving it the stand of the parent colony. On June 27 

 (just one day less than a month after hiving it) it became so 

 populous that from fear of losing one of my best queens if I 

 permitted the swarm to fly, I took from it a large artificial 

 swarm with the old queen. The productof this swarm may 



be recorded as follows : A good artificial swarm, 20 pounds 

 of comb honey, 47 pounds and 11 ounces of extracted honey, 

 2 combs of sealed brood, and 3 sealed queen-cells, besides 3 

 or 4 combs of young bees shaken into two weak colonies to 

 strengthen them ; this for one living in a location which is 

 not a good one for honey-production, is, I think, a pretty good 

 one; but in fairness I must admit that last season produced 

 a greater honey-yield than usual. 



The queen of this colony is from my favorite stock, being 

 as near as I am able to describe about % to % Syrian, being 

 crossed with my dark or leather-colored Italians, and although 

 not so docile and easily handled, they are by far the most pro- 

 lific, hardy, longest-lived, and best honey-producers I have 

 had after 35 years' careful breeding and cross-breeding. I 

 have now a bee which comes almost up to my expectations, 

 let it be "Apis Americana" or whatever else it may be 

 termed, and I only regret that it will be difficult for me to 

 procure fresh Syrian blood to further advance this grade of 

 bee. 



I had forgotten to state that this variety is much larger 

 and stronger than any other I have ever met. 



After an experience of over 40 years, and with all varie- 

 ties of bees except the Cyprian and Egyptian (and these I do 

 not want), I have no recollection of any colony equal to the 

 one described, if I may except an Italian colony I owned about 

 25 years ago, when my honey resources were much better 

 than now, and from which I obtained 113% pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey and a large artificial swarm ; these were the 

 darker Italians, and although much more gentle and excellent 

 honey-gatherers, they were not nearly so hardy or long-lived 

 as my present stock. I have 4 or 5 queens from this queen 

 almost the equal, and one, I think, superior to the old one. 



I should be glad to learn from whom I could renew the 

 Syrian blood in my apiary. Beaver, Pa. 



Fifteeu Years' Experience la Bee-Keeping. 



nv MRS. SALLIE E. SHERJIAN. 

 , (Continued from page 435.) 



I guess I was one of the first to get and use the Alley 

 drone-trap and queen-cage combined. At any rate, I smoth- 

 ered and killed two colonies of bees before they were beveled 

 or cut away at the edge. You see, they were just left square 

 at the edge next to the hive, so that it completely closed the 

 entrance, and as the weather was intensely hot, they became 

 excited, which increased rather than diminished the heat. 

 When I looked into the hives late in the evening they were a 

 mass of dead or dying bees. I wrote to Mr. Alley about it, 

 and told him what I thought the trouble was. He very gen- 

 erously sent me several of his fine queens to replace those 

 that I had lost from the defective traps, and those that I got 

 of him afterwards were all right, and with me a wonderful 

 success, as it entirely stopped the climbing and mutilating of 

 my nice shade-trees. 



I think about as pretty a sight as I ever saw during my 

 15 years of bee-keeping experience, and during a long, linger- 

 ing spell of slow fever that my son had during swarming 

 time, was a beautiful, very large swarm of bees that came out 

 and settled on the very topmost limbs of an elm tree in the 

 yard. As soon as I heard them (the hive was near the house) 

 I ran out and put a trap to the entrance so as to cage the 

 queen. I then moved the old hive and put a new one in its 

 place; then placed the trap containing the queen at the en- 

 trance of the newly-prepared hive. By the time this was 

 done, the golden beauties came pouring back in a stream from 

 their high perch. It was indeed a sight worth seeing. In 15 

 minutes from the time I left my sick child, I was back to him 

 again with my bees hived and everything all right. I would 

 just as soon think of going back to the little black bee and 



