162 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



taining dead bees in which the phora had laid its 

 eggs. This, however, is not so. 



"Fifthly, Parasites do indeed prove destructive 

 to insects designed by nature to be their prey,. 

 but must never be assumed to become the cause 

 of the destruction of the entire race — which 

 would, in effect, be warring against their own 

 hith and kin. 



jSi.ciMi/, I have examined nearly a hundred 

 bee larvfe, "by holding them before the light of 

 a candle in a darkened chamber," but could 

 never detect the motions of a single phora larva. 



Seventhly, Prof. Leuckart examined micros- 

 copically a great number of foulbroody bee 

 larvas in the summer of 1860. Some were dead 

 and some still living. lie found neither phora 

 larvae nor any other animal parasite in any of 

 them. 



Notwithstanding all this, it is my impression 

 that foulbrood of the first and second grade or 

 form, is at least occasionally, and probably more 

 frequently than Ave suppose, caused Ijy some 

 parasitic insect, even though it be not the phora 

 incrassafa. 



In the first place Dr. Asmusz has ascertained 

 the presence of animal parasites in still living 

 bee larvae Irom foulbroody hives; and as against 

 clearly ascertained /<■<;(■<.'*, I hold mere scientific 

 inferential and negative proof as of small ac- 

 count. 



Secondly, The minute holes observed in the 

 caps of foulbroody cells, indicate that some liv- 

 ing creature eitlicr theie entered or came out of 

 those cells. But of the lact that it comes out 

 thence, I think I have conclusive evidence. In 

 tlie summer of IfrOl, Mr. Henry Kcil, a bee- 

 keeper in Dottelstadt, near Gotha, brought to 

 me a foull)roody comb irom one of his hives. I 

 examined it minutely, and observed small holes 

 in tbe caps of seveu of the cells. I then placed 

 the comb under a gla;s cover, and on examining 

 it again nine dnys alter, ibund that the number 

 of holes had increased to twenly-four. The ad- 

 ditional seventeen, it is apparent, could only 

 nave been perforated from wi/7«'» and outwards. 

 Nor could they have been produced, as Scholtiz 

 svippo;,ed, by tlic bees, "in order to ascertain the 

 contents of the cells after having in vain awaited 

 the development of the larvce.'' 



Thirdly, 'ibis view of the matter accounts 

 l^lainly for the spontaneous occurrence of foul- 

 Ijrood hi places where no obvious cause is known 

 io exist. It is probable that the insect makes its 

 appearance only temporarily and in limited areas, 

 tliough occurring in greater or less numbers at 

 dilRrent periods. This, too, Avould account for 

 tlie fact that at times one or two hives are at- 

 Uickcd in nn apiary where no vitiated or noxi- 

 ous hone}^ Jms been fed — a ciicumstance other- 

 wise inexplieuljle. 



SiccoND ViKw. — Foulbrood may be caused by 

 feeding the colonies with fermented or acidified 

 honej'. Fermentive matter, even though not 

 derived -wiiolly or in pajt iVom fouUu'oody stocks, 

 v;ould cause fernu'ntation in the brood fed there- 

 with and thus prodr.ce foulbrood. President 

 iJuseb, however, states that he has often fed 

 such honej'- without injury to his stocks. I have 

 Jiiyscir, in ibrmer years, fed tons of Cuban honey 

 to my bees- honey liaviug a uanrer.us, disagreea- 



ble taste and smell — with no lad effect what- 

 eA'cr. But this is inconclusive. That which 

 was in ten cases harmless, may prove destructive 

 in the eleventh. I think the positive evidence 

 here shows that fermented or acidified honey can 

 produce tbulhrood. 



Mr. Kalteich states that "honey combs of the 

 previous year emitted a fetid odor, their surface 

 was damp, and the pollen mouldy. I gave these 

 combs to three populous stocks, all of which lie- 

 came foulbroody and perished; as did likewise 

 a fourth, the bees of which Iiad appropriated 

 some of this honey and several others also, into 

 which I had introduced such combs before I 

 knew they were contaminated." 



Mr. Hermann says: "In two instances foul- 

 brood was produced by feeding bees with honey 

 kept in a vessel in which verdegris had been 

 formed." 



Mr. P. J. Mahan, a highly intelligent bee- 

 keeper from Philadelphia, told me when here 

 tliat he had formerly spent some time on the 

 island of Cuba, and bad observed that it was a 

 common practice in the apiaries there after suf- 

 focating their bees, to press out the liquid from 

 the commingled mass of honey, pollen, bniod, 

 and dead bees, and run it into casks as the pro- 

 duct of the bee. This nauseous mixture speedi- 

 ly undergoes fermentation, especially if the 

 combs were not previously heated and contained 

 much j^oung brood, the rich juices of Avhicb read- 

 ily terment. Foulbrood is sure to be produced 

 when bees liave access to sich ibod; and ho 

 kncAv of many instances in the United States 

 where the disease originated from this cause. 

 though it was almost uvlcnotcn in Cvha. The 

 bee-keepers there are well aware of the noxious 

 quality of such honey, and are careful that their 

 bees shall not have access to it. So long as this 

 commixture, called Cuban honey, has not under- 

 gone fermentation, it may be safely fed to Iiees; 

 and its pestilential quality depends entirely upon 

 the fact whether the pressing took place when 

 there was much unsealed brood in the cells. 

 Usually the pressing was done A\hen the combs 

 were free from brood, but occasionally the want 

 of empty hives to accommodate the numerous 

 swarms, constrained them to be less particular 

 in that respect. Bee-keepers in the United 

 States, taught by experience that Cuban honey 

 was a dangerous kind of bee-feed, avoid it alto- 

 gether, and would not accept it as a gilt, i'or thai, 

 purpose. Thus far Mahan. Pohsli and other 

 foreign honey of ecnnmerce, is of nearly tiic 

 same character. 



In corroboration of this view I (luotc also the 

 observed fact that such honey does not directly, 

 but only indirectly, produce foulbrood. It grnd- 

 ually contaminates the air in the hive, developing 

 a fetid odor, and thus causing disease, whicli 

 ahvays breaks out six or eight Aveeks alter the 

 noxious honey has been fed. This is also con- 

 firmed by Dzierzon's experience, who m.ode all 

 his stock foulbroody in 1848, liy feeding Cuban 

 honey. 



Third Vieav. — It is believed by some that if 

 brood Avhich has died from any cause, is not remo- 

 ved by the bees, it will become putrid and produce 

 a contagious disease; that is non-contagious 

 foulbroo'd mav under certain circumstances be 



