OTovTespcmckncc, 



Translated from the Bienen-Zeitung. 



Speedy Cure of Foul Brood. 

 by h . 



If anyone desires to make microscopi- 

 cal foul-brood studies, lie should possess 

 such diseased colonies himself ; to re- 

 quest others through letters or bee 

 papers to send combs, bees or brood, is 

 too circumstantial and unsafe, and these 

 coming from a distance, would be likely 

 not to possess any value. 



For these reasons I had to make quite 

 extensive experiments first to create 

 this disease artificially, and second, to 

 cure it again, and to prevent its spread- 

 ing any further within my large apiary. 



As my apiary is situated in quite an 

 isolated spot, I could, without doing 

 harm to anyone but myself , undertake 

 these experiments. 



To create foul-brood within a hive, is 

 not at all difficult ; that is, if we would 

 n ot at the same time desire to find out, 

 how this disease in general voluntarily 

 originates. I obtained the first foul 

 brood, by feeding brood comb with 

 sealed and unsealed brood, the same 

 having passed over to a stage of fermen- 

 tation and putrefaction, adding to it a 

 little water ; this mass showed all the 

 symptoms of foul-brood. Of this 

 stinking pap I put one part in 20 

 parts of thinned honey, putting the 

 same into a flat vessel, and pushing it 

 into the hive below the frames; as soon 

 as this vessel became empty, another 

 one of ihe same shape was placed as 

 before, but this did not contain the food 

 in a wet state, it was given to them, al- 

 though of the same substance, as dry as 

 possibly, so that through the air the 

 micrococcus could rise. 



In this manner therefore I obtained 

 the first perfect foul-brood. Previous 

 experiments with mere feeding did not 

 offer such excellent results. But the 



Eoint is not, how to create foul-brood, 

 ut how to cure it speedily and effectu- 

 ally. In this I proceed as follows : 



If the well-known signs of foul-brood 

 are noticed among a colony as for in- 

 stance, first, want of uniformity in the 

 color of the brood-cell coverings, of 

 which some appear as if pierced in the 

 center with a fine needle. Second, a 

 slimy, yellow and brown mass after 

 opening a brood-cell ; third, black, rot- 

 ten maggots, lying upon the lower cell- 

 walls, being as yet not covered, then no 

 delay must occur to securely fasten the 

 entrance with a wire screen in such a 

 manner that no bee can find egress. 



This must be done when the weather 

 is pleasant and in the evening when 

 all of the bees are within. 



Should the weather on the following 

 morning not be pleasant and sunny, 

 then by removing the wire screen, I 

 give the bees free flight, but if the 

 weather is pleasant and sunny, then I 

 commence the operation. 



The hive is carried into a closed up 

 room, and from it I take one frame after 

 another, brushing the bees off with a 

 strong feather, trimmed off about half, 

 and wipe the bees off the combs into a 

 wooden box, this latter being about 8 

 inches wide, 13 inches long and 8 inches 

 in height; the walls of this box and 

 also the bottom and lid have an opening 

 about 3x5 inches, over which is nailed a 

 fine wire screen. After having brushed 

 off the bees in this manner from all the 

 combs, those that remain within the 

 hive are also put into the box. When 

 they are all within the box, then the 

 cover is placed upon it and put aside, 

 covering the whole up with a cloth that 

 has been dipped into a solution of 1 per 

 cent, of salicylic acid and water. The 

 combs being now free from any bees, are 

 covered up in like manner as the box ; 

 having done this, the vacant hive is 

 thoroughly cleansed. For this purpose 

 a solution of salycilic acid, 1 part of 

 salicylic acid to 10 parts of alcohol is 

 used, and with it, and the aid of a 

 strong bristle brush, the whole receives 

 a thorough scrubbing, scraping it sub- 

 sequently with pieces of broken glass. 

 When this is done, then the hive is sub- 

 mitteed to another washing; in the 

 same manner must the spot be treated, 

 upon which the hive rested, and every 

 object surrounding it. After this I 

 place the hive upon its accustomed 

 stand, and begin with the cleaning of 

 the combs. These are uncapped and 

 hung singly into a zinc-lined box, which 

 also contains the solution, 1 part salicy- 

 lic acid, to 10 parts of alcohol ; within 

 this the combs are moved about, raising 

 and lowering them alternately for about 

 1 minute, when they are placed into the 

 extractor and both sides emptied. My 

 apprehension that I would aid in spread- 

 ing the micrococcus while using the 

 extractor on the combs, soon disap- 

 peared when I found, how well I could 

 submit the whole to a microscopic con- 

 trol. The cover of the honey extractor 

 was removed, and replaced by lights of 

 plate glass, under the lower sides of 

 which I fastened (using Canada bal- 

 sam to make it stick) boiled cotton. 

 After every few turns of the basket I 

 inspected this cotton with Hartnack, 

 system 9, ocular 3, and found no signs 

 of living bacillarise. 



