THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



larvas. This is also of importance 

 as bearing upon this theory, as bees 

 that have been disinfected outward- 

 ly will produce food containing 

 spores, and therefore through out- 

 ward cure alone, the disease cannot 

 be eradicated. 



3. Besides the two methods 

 given by Messrs. Jones and Muth 

 (the older manner of treatment) 

 Prof. Cook advises also, as the sur- 

 est way, burning or burying of the 

 affected colonies. Indeed, at the 

 meeting in Michigan, the law was 

 passed that even the beekeepers 

 should be compelled to take the 

 destruction in hand. But as I shall 

 soon proceed to show we have now 

 a speedy, sure and cheap method so 

 that such a destructive proceeding 

 can by no means be allowed. 



Of still more importance is the 

 circumstance that every beekeeper 

 can with little trouble take care 

 that his colonies are freed from the 

 disease, even though there are foul 

 broody colonies in the neighbor- 

 hood. I would by no means claim 

 that the individual beekeeper should 

 not be compelled by law to exter- 

 minate the disease, but if he cannot 

 or will not himself undertake the 

 cure, he should not be obliged to 

 destroy the entire colonies, but the 

 cure should be executed or con- 

 trolled by experts. 



In the spring of 1882 I discov- 

 ered in my apiary several colonies 

 which were very foul broody. I 

 used salicine acidification in differ- 

 ent ways and in the summer the 

 disease had disappeared, and has 

 not shown itself since. Such a law 

 as that to which I referred would 



therefore have caused me an un- 

 necessary and very considerable 

 damage. I will only briefly refer 

 to the difficulty of carrying out 

 such a law. 



To-day, we are able to save not 

 only the queen and the bees of a 

 foul broody colony, but also their 

 honey, comb and the still living or 

 vital larv£e. Of course, the latter 

 is attended with difficulty, and it is 

 to be advised to renounce, in many 

 cases, the preservation of brood and 

 combs. After examining several 

 methods, therefore, we have at last 

 to ask the question, How is foul 

 brood to be eradicated in the sim- 

 plest manner? 



(a) E. Hilpert, in German^', 

 has, in his time, described two dif- 

 ferent methods of curing with sa- 

 licine acidification, by which, 

 without doubt, one would be able 

 to preserve alive all that is still 

 vital. But these methods are more 

 or less intricate, and a slight mis- 

 take makes success doubtful inas- 

 much as it preserves the disease a 

 long while, and may likely be trans- 

 ferred to healthy colonies. At all 

 events, Mr. Muth's method is to be 

 preferred, by which however the 

 comb and brood are supposed to be 

 lost. A more recent method, which 

 always meets with success whenever 

 used is as follows. Instead of sa- 

 licine acidification, common carbo- 

 lic acid, which is inexpensive and 

 easily obtained, is used as a cure. 

 It is certainly poisonous and has 

 a very strong odor, but if used in 

 exact accordance with the direc- 

 tions, it is harmless to the bees. 

 It is used outwardly as follows : 



