1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



253 



many of the eggs. Without wasting time inquiring 

 into the cause, he suggested this remedy: Destroy 

 all diseased worms and eggs, and develop the 

 healthy eggs under circumstances that would prevent 

 their coming in contact with the fungus germs. In 

 two or three years healthy silk culture was restored 

 to France." I trust that healthy bee culture will 

 yet be restored to our country in the same way, 

 although we can come no nearer the original cause. 

 The most economical remedy is yet in dispute. Mr. 

 Alley, of Wenham, Mass., (see A. B. J., 1870,) 

 says: " Destroy hive, bees and all by fire," with 

 which an editorial note entirely concurs, as the only 

 effectual remedy. I do not dispute the effect of his 

 remedy, but it seems too much like burning an old 

 building to prevent any of the timbers being used to 

 construct a new one, or giving a man medicine to 

 kill him because we do not know how to prevent his 

 dying of fever. I have always studied economy as 

 far as possible, and would say, if there is a stick of 

 timber yet sound in the building, use it in recon- 

 struction ; if there is one healthy organ in the human 

 body, save it as long as possible. If any one part of 

 the hive is healthy or sound, and there is enough of 

 it to pay for the trouble of saving, by all means save 

 it from the flames. If they have honey save that. 

 If it be fed to the bees, purify by scalding. If for 

 the table, detach the diseased part and bury out of 

 sight as you would a diseased, incurable limb that 

 had been detached to save the sound one. As long 

 as there are bees for a swarm left, save them — 

 unless out of season — to begin anew. The mature 

 bee is healthy, as has been fully proved, and it has 

 been many times demonstrated that they are as good 

 as new timber used in reconstruction. We have re- 

 stored our whole apiaries to health, not having a 

 single case in the past two seasons. I would now 

 ask Mr. Alley if he is entirely rid of it. If not, his 

 remedy does not prevent it. If he is rid of it, did 

 he gain by destroying his bees? Is he any more ex- 

 empt from re-infection than we are? Suppose some 

 neighbor brings a badly infected colony almost to 

 his very door, what will save his bees from the con- 

 tagion any more than ours under similar circum- 

 stances ? It is not a little gratifying to be able to 

 say the remedy has been tested and the position 

 proved correct. I may add that the opinion express- 

 ed twenty years ago, viz : That if no diseased bees 

 were brought within reach of the healthy ones, it 

 would soon die out, seems verified. There is a fair 

 prospect of its doing so. Our immediate neighbors 

 are not troubled with it, and I know of none within 

 several miles around. 



Seasonable Hints to Bee-Keepers. 



I again intrude upon your valuable space to urge 

 bee-keepers at this season to carefully examine their 

 hives, and ascertain that each has a prolific queen, 

 as well as a good supply of stores to be used in rear- 

 ing brood and strengthening the army of workers for 

 the early flowers. Any hive found with less than 

 ten pounds of honey should be fed regularly each 

 evening, commencing with about two table-spoonfuls, 

 and gradually increasing to a quarter of a pound 

 daily. Any hive found queenless, if in an old-fash- 

 ioned box-hive or bee-gum, should be driven out 

 and united with another hive ; if in a movable 



comb hive, it can be strengthened and built up by 

 giving a frame of brood (if sealed all the better) 

 from another hive that is strung enough to spare it, 

 and in about fifteen days another frame of the same 

 kind, and again, at the end of ten or fifteen days, 

 another frame in which there are eggs or larvse 

 just hatched. It may be asked, why not give a 

 brood to rear a queen from at once. If they have 

 been queenless only a short time they will rear a 

 queen from the first young brood given them, but if 

 for a long time queenless, they will not rear a queen 

 until after the first brood given hatches ; the young 

 bees from which will rear a queen as soon as they 

 hatch in sufficient numbers to construct queen cells, 

 manufacture the necessary jelly, and engender suf- 

 ficient heat needed to rear queens, and can obtain 

 eggs or larvae of the right age to rear from. Should 

 there be a queen reared from the first brood given, 

 the hive will need careful watching, to be certain of 

 the queen being fertilized and not becoming a drone 

 layer. Should she prove such, as soon as drones 

 begin to fly, kill her and give the hive a frame of 

 young brood and eggs, from which they will rear 

 another queen ; and in about twenty days, if the 

 weather is favorable, there will be but little doubt of 

 the hive having a fertile queen. A queenless colony 

 in a box-hive can be saved, but the labor is so great 

 that it will not pay, and it is therefore more advan- 

 tageous to unite with another colony. Bees should 

 also be fed with rye-meal (ground fine and not 

 bolted), if obtainable, otherwise rye-flour, mixed 

 with sawdust or fine cut straw, will answer the pur- 

 pose ; place in a shallow pan and set near the hives, 

 in a place sheltered from the wind and rain. The 

 bees will carry the flour into the hives, and use in 

 place of pollen to rear their brood with. Those who 

 desire to change from box hives to movable comb 

 hives, should obtain their hives and have every- 

 thing ready for transferring as soon as first blossoms 

 become plenty. Transferring can be done earlier 

 in-doors, or if the weather is very warm and fine, out- 

 doors ; but the bees transferred will need feeding, 

 as they will use much honey in repairing their 

 combs and fastening to the frames. The earlier 

 transferring is done, the earlier will the hive swarm, 

 which to the bee-keeper of careful habits, will more 

 than repay the care and cost of feeding. The care- 

 less bee-keeper I would advise to let movable comb 

 hives alone — they would not be as "lucky" to 

 him as the "old gum," and in the end he will be- 

 come convinced that "patent hives kill the bees," as 

 many have been convinced that the mowing machine 

 kills the grass in the meadow where it is used. — 

 "£." in the American Farmer. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Uncovered Brood. 



Mr. Editor: — Page 170, February number, 

 "Novice" thinks me certainly in error, that in 

 revolving brood, sealed or unsealed would injure it. 

 I hope and wish it to be no more than an error on 

 my part of thinking so, as I stated in December, 

 page 136, and am of the same opinion still. The 

 proof that "Novice" supplies on page 170, March 

 number, is convincing. See, here are large patches 

 uncovered, and I once feared it was foul brood, or 

 something wrong, but always came out right. I 



