No. 4.] BEE KEEPING. 421 



dation. As soon as the bees begin to drop from the frames 

 from starvation you may begin to feed, but not before. By 

 this means none of the honey carried from the old hive is 

 deposited in tlie new cells. Bees treated thus are usually 

 cured. 



Further care must be taken to destroy the germs in the 

 old hive. Cheshire says: "The destruction of the hiv^e is 

 never necessary. It may be used again Avith perfect safety, 

 if, having been washed and dried, it be scrupulously painted 

 with a mixture of two parts methylated spirit and one part 

 carbolic acid crystals, or one and one-half parts good white 

 fluid carbolic acid. This mixture not only destroys all 

 bacilli, but it glues them down by dissolving the propolis." 

 For washing, corrosive sublimate solution (mercuric chlo- 

 ride), one-eighth ounce in a gallon of water, may be used to 

 advantage ; a thorough rinsing must follow. 



Fumigation of the hive with formaldehyde gas has been 

 advocated, but this has not been found to penetrate the 

 wax and honey sulEciently to kill all germs. A better 

 method is to extract the honey and melt up the combs. 

 Heat these for an hour or so as high as possible without 

 burning. This will kill all germs. Then run off the wax, 

 which may be again used ; the honey also is rendered whole- 

 some for either man or bees. 



After handling diseased colonies, the hands and all tools 

 must be thoroughly disinfected liefore permitting them to 

 touch healthy stock. 



So far as we know, every case of foul brood arises from 

 infested bees in the neighborhood. A IiIa'c dies out, the 

 owner neglects to examine it, possibly does not know that 

 it is dead, but other bees rob it out and carry the germs 

 wherever they go. Thus, like an epidemic in a city, the 

 disease spreads until checked. When brood disease strikes 

 in, the only hope of saving the industry in a neighborhood 

 lies in prompt and energetic action on the part of every bee 

 keeper. 



The main difficulties of bee keeping have been considi^red, 

 and none of them are insurmountable. A few minor dan- 

 gers remain to be briefl}' noticed. 



