276 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



I cut out pieces of the comb containing 

 the disease, and mailed them to two of 

 the New York inspectors. One replied 

 promptly that he was not positive what 

 it was, and had sent it to Professors 

 at Ithaca for microscopical examina- 

 tion. If he could examine several 

 colonies and see the disease in all of 

 its stag-es, while fresh, he felt that he 

 would be able to diagnose the trouble. 

 Another one of the inspectors wrote 

 me as follows: — 



Sammonsville, N. Y., July 16, 1904. 

 Friend Hutchinson: — 



Your sample of brood 

 just received last night, on my return 

 from an inspectingtour, and thismakes 

 the sample rather old. Now comes in 

 one of the reasons why I wanted all 

 the inspectors to get together in June, 

 each bringing several samples of dis- 

 eased brood, so we could all see the 

 several kinds of, or rather phases of, 

 black and foul brood. I do not hesi- 

 tate to say, even with this old sample 

 of brood, that it is a type of black 

 brood, and if it works with you as it 

 does with us, it may spread very fast. 



Now, it is my experience that it is 

 not a contagions, but an infedioiis dis- 

 ease, and may be carried on tools, 

 clothes, or by the bees themselves, and 

 it took me two years to learn how it 

 could travel three to five miles away; 

 and that was by bees from diseased 

 colonies flying far afield, and, sudden 

 storms overtaking them, thej-^ dropped 

 into the first hive of bees they found, 

 thus carrying the germs of disease. I 

 know such to be the case. 



Treat the same as foul brood. I 

 wish I could talk to yon for half an 

 hour. I might give you the benefit of 

 my experience, as, in writing, I prob- 

 ably will be telling you a lot you al- 

 ready know. But, suppose a yard of 20 

 colonies is diseased; 10 colonies strong 

 and 10 weak. Shake the 10 strong 

 ones and take all of their brood and 

 put it with the 10 weak ones, first 

 taking out all combs of the weak not 

 having brood, and rendering them 

 into wax. As soon as the weak ones 

 are strengthened enough by the good 

 brood hatching, shake and stack the 

 brood on one or two of the weakest, 

 and, finally, shake the last one, which 

 will be the only one where any brood 

 is sacrificed. 



If all were very weak it is sometimes 

 best to unite several. We have had to 



unite as many as 10 colonies to make 

 one good one (several years ago. ) 



It is always worst when \\.first breaks 

 ont, especially among black bees, or 

 an3'' bees that are weak in vitality by 

 too close inbreeding. Young, vigorous 

 Italian queens ars a great help. When 

 too late to treat, if healthy colonies 

 have an extra set of filled combs, the 

 diseased colonies' combs may all be 

 taken away from them, if they are 

 strong enough to winter, and a set of 

 filled healthy combs given them, and 

 they will be healthy in Spring, if all 

 brood rearing had ceased at the time 

 this was done. 



If I can be of any service to you at 

 any time, write me at once. 



R. D. Barclay, of the State Agri- 

 cultural College, of Pennsylvania, has 

 been traveling with me for ten days to 

 learn bee disease and honey producing 

 and Prof. Benton wants to travel with 

 me for a week in August, to study the 

 situation. It is only here and there 

 that I now find a case of black brood 

 in mj' division of 13 counties. 



We have the disease by the throat, 

 and bee men are jubilant. This is a 

 good honey year. I have extracted 

 3,000 pounds of fine honey from 17 

 hives (no increase) and have 7,000 

 pounds of honey (comb) in sight from 

 135 colonies, spring count. Another 

 yard of 40 colonies I have had worked 

 on shares, and do not know what they 

 have. Hope to meet you at St. Louis. 

 Yours, 

 Chas. Stewart. 



I spent several days at Dowagiac, 

 driving about the country several miles 

 in all directions, but found only one 

 other diseased apiary besides the two 

 first mentioned; and that became con- 

 taminated from taking a colony there 

 from one of the diseased yards. 



One of the first-mentioned apiaries, 

 the one that had nine colonies last fall 

 has only one left, and that one is about 

 dead. The one that had twenty, now 

 has only eight, and all diseased except 

 a swarm that built its own combs this 

 year. As soon as the harvest is over, 

 all of these apiaries will be destroyed. 

 The bees will be brimstoned, the combs 

 made into wax, the hives packed 

 away in the cellar, and further devel- 

 opments awaited. 



