206 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



September, 



aud one which is fast ruining a most 

 pleasant aud profitable industry. It 

 spreads through an apiary, affecting 

 the strongest as well as the weakest 

 colonies, because it is one of those ma- 

 lignant and contagious diseases due 

 to the presense of a germ called by the 

 scientists bacillus alvei. Adult bees 

 are spposed to be beyond the reach 

 of this germ, and the disease is there- 

 fore confined to larvae between the 

 ages of one and ten days. Just how 

 this young larva becomes affected is 

 not definitely known. It may be 

 through contagion from the diseased 

 comb or brood which contagion is 

 brought to the young larvae by the 

 nurse bees, but in all probability the 

 germ is introduced with the food. It 

 has been said that foul brood develops 

 from chilled or starved brood. This 

 has been proven beyond a doubt not 

 to be true. Since it is a germ disease 

 it cannot develop when the germ which 

 causes it is not present. On the other 

 hand, the disease is so highly infec- 

 tious that one drop of infected honey 

 may ruin a whole apiary. 



SYMPTOMS. 



The first apparent evidence of the 

 presence of the disease manifests it- 

 self in the behavior of the bees.which 

 do not seem to possess their usual ac- 

 tivity, but have a lazy, indolent man- 

 ner. There is apt to be some litter in 

 the entrance of the hive as though the 

 bees were loath to "clean house." A 

 few bees may fall at the entrance. Af- 

 ter the disease is well advanced a foul 

 smell resembling melting glue may be 

 detected without removing the cover, 

 eA-en. and at some little distance from 

 the hive. 



On removing the cover an examina- 

 tion of an infected colony reveals the 

 following peculiarities: The brood is 

 not compact, but scattered. The 

 empty cells, those not containing 

 brood, may contain a dry scale in the 

 bottom. The cappings over the dead 

 larvae are depressed slightly and dark- 

 er than the healthy ones. There is of- 

 ten a hole in the center of the cap. 

 ^lany larvae, however, die before the 

 cell is sealed. 



If the examintion is made when the 

 disease is just beginning, the affected 



larvae are no longer curled up, but 

 either lie extended in the cell or are 

 moving about unnaturally. As the dis- 

 ease progresses they lose their plump 

 appearance, become flabby and finally 

 die. 



As decomposition begins the larvae 

 at first take on a yellowish appear- 

 ance, and later turn brown. If a tooth- 

 pick is inserted into the dead larvae at 

 this time and later and is slowly 

 drawn out it will show a long, ropy, 

 tenacious string, which upon breaking, 

 v.-hen drawn out to its fullest extent, 

 flies back into the cell. This ropy, 

 putrid mass slowly dries down and 

 adheres to the oottom of the cell, form- 

 ing a small scale. The bees seem re- 

 luctant to remove these dead larvae, 

 instead of hastening their removal as 

 they do in other instances when larvae 

 die. Or it may be that the dead larvae 

 adhere so firmly to the cell that it is 

 impossible for the bees to remove 

 them. Whatever the cause may be, 

 when the larvae are killed by this dis- 

 ease they are not removed. 



As a result of the disease the colo- 

 ny becomes weakened since the brood 

 fails to hatch, and soon dwindles down 

 to such an extent that it is utterly 

 defenseless and is then liable to be 

 robbed. As soon as the robbing be- 

 gins the disease is transferred to oth- 

 er colonies, and unless the bee-keeper 

 is watchful the whole apiary becomes 

 infected. 



AN EMINENT AUTHORITY. 



Dr. Howard says: "I regard the use 

 of any and all drugs in the treatment 

 of foul brood as a useless waste of 

 time and material, wholly ineffectual, 

 inviting ruin and total loss of bees. 

 Any method which has not for its 

 object the entire removal of all infec- 

 tious material beyond the reach of 

 bees and brood will prove detrimental 

 and destructive and surefy encourage 

 the recurrence of the disease." 



The one method that has given the 

 most universal satisfaction is recom- 

 mended by Canada's inspector of apia- 

 ries, William. McEvoy. His method 

 is given below in his own words. 



M'EVOY'S TREATMENT, 



"In the honey season, when the bees 

 are gathering freely, remove the combs 



