1871.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



157 



little brood in the larvae state, as the honey yield 

 had ceased since July 13th to a noticeable extent, 

 No. 4 raised all its loees after August 20th, and 

 is the strongest in the whole apiary. 



C. WURSTER. 



Kleinsburg, Canada, Dec. 8, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bees in Connecticut. Poulbrood. 



Mr. Editor : — The honey season of 1870 has 

 been profitable to those here, who fed their 

 stocks liberally in the spring. During the win- 

 ter of 1869-70 very many stocks perished in this 

 section, of pure starvation. I examined my 

 stocks about Dec. 1, that year, having then just 

 returned from Europe, and found sixteen with 

 less than five pounds of honey each. I put 

 them in a damp cellar, the temperature of which 

 continued all winter at an average of 33 degi-ees. 

 Closing all the bottom openings, I left open the 

 large hole in the honey board. Over this hole I 

 piled stick candy, which I purchased at 22 cents 

 l^er pound. Nine out of the sixteen wintered 

 safely, consuming about three pounds each up 

 to the time of setting out. The other seven, 

 having perhaps less honey, dropped dead, a few 

 at a time, and every time I entered the cellar, I 

 found the bottom board covered with them. In 

 some instances I tried pouring honey in the 

 combs, but the result was mould, and more dead 

 bees than where I trusted to candy alone. Sev- 

 eral hives, having more than ten pounds of 

 honey, refused to touch the candy, and wintered 

 splendidly. Among those I lost were my three 

 only stocks of Italians. In the spring I found 

 my twenty-three hives reduced to sixteen ; and 

 several of these were so reduced in numbers, or 

 else queenless, tliat I finally united several 

 stocks, and commenced the present season with 

 but nine colonies. 



I fed liberally and had my colonies strong 

 when our orchards here were in bloom, and 

 the stocks gained in weight in two weeks from 

 forty to sixty pounds each. I now felt that all 

 my troubles and anxieties were over, until one 

 morning I discovered what I believed to be foul- 

 brood. I had never seen the disease, and as it 

 did not seem to increase, and was confined to 

 one hive, I let it severely alone, and hoped it 

 might prove some very mild form of the dis- 

 ease. 



I swarmed such stocks as were preparing to do 

 so of their own accord — five in all :— the others 

 have not swarmed this season. I use the 

 Thomas Hive ; and when the clover season be- 

 gan, I placed surplus boxes on all but three of the 

 hives ; and though I fixed comb to induce them 

 to begin, they would not work in them. On the 

 three remaining liive^, I placed boxes containing 

 six frames each, filled with comb and five inches 

 deep. The honey-board was removed, so that 

 the hive was practically just so much taller. 

 These frames were filled almost immediately, 

 and I emi^tied them twice a week with the 

 "emptier," taking out twenty quarts in two 

 weeks. They ought to have been emptied 



oftener, as they were always full when I exam- 

 ined them. I think now that I also erred in not 

 emptying the frames in the hives themselves. 

 As the season was now almost over, and I had 

 again to leave for a trip to Europe, I made simi- 

 lar boxes for all the hives, and left them to 

 work their will on 2^ acres of buckwheat sown 

 on very rich ground. There was no other buck- 

 wheat in the neighborhood ; yet when I returned 

 I found all the hives well filled, and the frames 

 in top boxes also filled with sealed honey, much 

 of it in new comb. So far, I felt the season a 

 grand success ; but on a careful examination in 

 October, I found six hives badly affected with 

 foulbrood. You kindly suggested I should try 

 the remedy proposed by Dr^ Abbe. I have done 

 so, and now report my progress so far. I first 

 procured an ' ' atomiser, ' ' price $3, and then a 

 pound of the extra refined hyposulphite of soda. 

 Thus armed and equipped, I commenced by 

 thoroughly spraying the combs in a spare hive 

 from which I had taken a queenless colony. I 

 found this hive without any trace of the disease, 

 and as soon as it was ready, I put into it a dis- 

 eased stock, and proceeded to clean its combs, 

 ready for the next. After spending four hours 

 on one comb, I came to the conclusion that 

 man's life was too short for cleaning out each 

 cell and every comb, if badly diseased. I then cut 

 out all the badly diseased comb, contenting my- 

 self with thoroughly spraying all the rest of 

 the comb. Where only a dozen or two cells 

 were affected, I treated them as the Doctor pre- 

 scribes. Of course most of the combs were free 

 from diseased cells. After thoroughly spraying 

 all the combs, I put in another diseased stock, 

 starting them with a clean house and well puri- 

 fied combs. I reduced the size of the hives by 

 a division board, placing a nice warm quilt on 

 the frames, and over that the honey board. I 

 treated four hives in this manner, and prepared 

 two clean hives for the other stocks, v/hich I 

 have concluded to leave in their present hives 

 till spring, as recommended by Quinby. 



I do not venture to suppose the disease is 

 eradicated from these stocks, but I hope it will 

 now be controlable, and that an occasional 

 " spray " will ultimately eradicate it. I propose, 

 in the spring, to wash each hive thoroughly with 

 a strong and hot solution of the hyposulphite, 

 and after that to keep a watchful eye on all my 

 colonies. 



My hives being so well supplied with honey, I 

 shall winter out of doors. They are sheltered from 

 the north winds, and fully exposed to the wann 

 sun, which even in midwinter melts the snow 

 from their lighting boards, and warms \\\y the 

 hive several times a week. 



Charles Dawbarn. 



Stamwich, Conn., Dec. 2, lb70. 



Wax is used for anatomical preparations, or 

 for making fac-similies of fruits. It also serves 

 the sculptor for his models and studies. 



Mead is an agreeable sweet kind of wine made 

 of honey and water, boiled and fermented. 



