spreading of the disease. For two seasons 

 I have tried faithfully to imitate the vir- 

 tues of friend Hilbert and not without suc- 

 cess, and the only consolation I have are the 

 words of a sympathizing friend and tellow- 

 sufferer: "It makes us all the better bee- 

 keepers." 



The maxim, "Time is money" is real- 

 ized by most of us. I for one, can better 

 afford to buy 5 or more colonies of bees than 

 cure one, after foul-brood is in an advanced 

 state because a number of other hives are 

 almost sure to be infected while handling 

 the one. We cannot be too particular to des- 

 troy every particle of comb, frame and hive 

 belonging to a foul-broody colony. In order 

 to prevent the disease, it is also very essen- 

 tial to add a small portion of salicylic acid 

 to all of our feeding honey or syrups, in 

 fall or spring. 



Another item may be worth mentioning. 

 After I had subjected the majority of my 

 combs to a treatment of salicylic acid a great 

 many times, 1 despaired of my ability to 

 destroy the above mentioned mummies and 

 concluded to render the combs into wax. 

 But to my surprise, I found the yield of 

 wax entirely out of proportion. It appeared 

 as if the acid had destroyed the wax. 

 Hence, the combs and frames were burned 

 to ashes and scattered to the four winds of 

 heaven. 



I hope that none of our friends unac- 

 quainted with this loathsome disease will 

 ever be troubled with it, but as the possi- 

 bility exists that any one of us may at any 

 time make such an unpleasant discovery in 

 his apiary, it will be prudent to mark all 

 such articles appearing on the matter or to 

 have them handy in case of any emergency. 



Cincinnati, O. Chas. F. Muth. 



Foul-Brood. 



Every intelligent bee-keeper is interested 

 in all that pertains to the health and pros- 

 perity of his apiary. As foul-brood is one 

 of the many hindrances to successful bee- 

 keeping, it may be profitable to spend a few 

 moments in exchange of ideas upon one of 

 the most loathsome calamities that can 

 attack our apiaries. 



An exhaustive treatise on the subject 

 would be too lengthy for this occasion, and 

 only some of the more salient points will 

 be noticed. 



The first thing to attract the attention of 

 the careful bee-keeper, should foul-brood 

 make its appearance, will be a few sunken 

 cells, with small perforations in the caps, 

 scattered over the brood combs. These cells 

 contain the putrid remains of the unhatched 

 brood. If these cells are found in large 

 numbers, the disease may be considered to 

 be in an advanced stage. If in addition to 

 this, a large portion of the uncapped larvre 

 is found dead ; the disease is in its malig- 

 nant stage. This disease may be in a hive 

 in a mild form for a long time, doing no 

 serious harm, and may possibly die out 

 entirely ; but at another time the conditions 

 may favor the rapid growth and spread of 

 the infection, and it becomes malignant and 

 contagious. 



The researches of Dr. Preuss and others 

 lead to the opinion that the disease is 

 caused by a microscopic fungus cryptococ- 



cus alveario. These fungi are very min- 

 ute, round and dust-like, and the Doctor 

 estimates that a single cell may contain 

 forty billions of the fungi. With this 

 knowledge of the infection ; the minuteness 

 and penetrating power of its particles, its 

 rapid spread and growth, must all be taken 

 into account when we attempt a cure. 



The chemical laboratory opens to us its 

 thousand remedies, and with its aid we feel 

 confident to attack the myriad hosts of the 

 enemy. Herr Lambrecht, a chemist of Ger- 

 many, was one of the first to claim success- 

 ful treatment. 



Among the various remedies which I have 

 tried, nothing has given me so great satis- 

 faction as the hyposulphite of soda, sug- 

 gested by Dr. Abbe, of Massachusetts. 

 The Doctor recommends one ounce of 

 hyposulphite of soda to half a pint of rain- 

 water, to be used with an atomizer, spray- 

 ing the combs, hive, and bees, and washing 

 out every infected cell. 



Chloride of soda (salt) made into a strong 

 brine works about as well, but does not 

 deodorize like the hyposulphite of soda. 



Salicylic acid has been used in Germany, 

 and tried in this country with varying 

 results. The author of this remedy says 

 that the combs must be gone over at least 

 eight times, opening every cell with sunken 

 cap, and the acid carefully applied. The 

 same amount of labor is required if chloride 

 of soda is used. How discouraging if, as 

 often happens, after all the bee-keeper's 

 care, some of these billions of fungi have 

 not been reached by the remedy, some of 

 the infected pollen remains, and he has his 

 work to do over again. Must we, after all 

 our chemical research and scientific attaii. 

 ments, go back to Quinby or Alley for the 

 best system ? 



To eradicate the disease with chemical 

 treatment involves the possibility of having 

 to repeat the work many times. In my 

 opinion, Quinby's method with the addition 

 of comb-foundation, is the more practical, 

 less laborious, more sure and economical. 



Should foul-brood again visit my apiary. 

 I should without hesitation shake the bees 

 off the combs into a clean box or hive, and 

 leave them there until all the honey taken 

 with them had been worked up into comb, 

 I should also have ready a new hive, sup- 

 plied with comb-foundation (wi"ed founda- 

 tion preferred), would then shake the bees 

 into this hive, making sure that not a vestige 

 of the old hive, comb, or honey, could be 

 reached by the bees. I should have con- 

 stantly on my mind that one cell of foul- 

 brood may contain forty billions of seed,, 

 and that any one seed may reproduce the 

 disease. 



The utmost care should be taken that no 

 other bees from the woods or neighbors 5 

 yards get to the comb or honey, as the 

 disease may be readily spread by them. 

 The comb should be immediately melted 

 into wax to destroy the fungi that might 

 remain in it. The honey, if brought to the 

 boiling point, can witli safety be fed to the 

 bees. The above method 1 have tried with 

 complete success. 



If the disease should make its appearance 

 in one colony only in the apiary, the temp- 

 tation would be strong to apply the fire test 



