480 



Furthermore, I took from this cotton, 

 selecting parts that had been nearest to 

 the combs, and put it into several small 

 alembics, which contained partly fresh 

 distilled water and partly nourishing 

 liquid, and closed them up with boiled 

 cotton. For this method in searching 

 for bacillarise and which is an excellent 

 one, I am indebted to Prof. F. Chon, in 

 Breslau, who makes mention of it in 

 the second number of his contributions 

 to Biology of the Plants, 1872, and can 

 easily be followed. Here now I could 

 not find the least trace of dimness, 

 although I left these alembics with their 

 contents stand quite a time. Examin- 

 ing the liquid with a strong magnifying 

 glass, I found, it is true, a few bacillariai, 

 but only dead ones. Yet another num- 

 ber of these alembics, treated in the 

 same manner, with an alloy of the ex- 

 tracted mass, furnished similar results. 



After this I assort the combs ; those 

 containing many cells with pollen, I cut 

 out, and such as have only a few, are 

 freed of them by digging them out; 

 this pollen, removed from its structure 

 and containing bacillarise and micrococ- 

 cus, is, while crumbling it tine, mixed 

 with a little alcohol and salicylic acid (1 

 part salicylic acid. 10 parts alcohol), and 

 being thinned with honey-water, added 

 again to the food and used. Now the 

 combs once more are immersed and ex- 

 tracted, and put back into the hive. 



When all the combs have been treated 

 in this way, then I take the box, con- 

 taining the bees, and place it with them 

 into a second, somewhat larger zinc-tin 

 box, which contains a solution of 1 part 

 salicylic acid to 100 parts of water, its 

 temperature is raised to 15-18 c Reaumur, 

 leaving it therein about 10 seconds. 

 After that time the inner bee-box is 

 pulled out again and exposed to the sun- 

 light and air: about 10 to 20 minutes 

 later it is again lowered into the solu- 

 tion for about 8 seconds, after which it 

 is placed as before on a sunny spot. As 

 it is only after a bath, lastingoO seconds, 

 that bees cannot recover, no apprehen- 

 sion need be felt, that the immersion of 

 such a short duration might kill them; 

 at least I have never lost a single bee 

 thereby. Previous to, and after each 

 immersion, I give the bees within the 

 box a light shaking, so that they cannot 

 remain together in a cluster, and that 

 the solution is enabled to exert its in- 

 fluence over each and every one of them. 

 That the fluid within the larger box 

 must be sufficient in quantity, to cover 

 the box that is lowered into it, is self- 

 evident, the access of the fluid as well 

 as its escape is made possible by the 

 lattices. Here I should also mention 

 that the bottom of the box containing 



the bees is slanting, to enable the water y 

 when the box is raised, to run off. 



As soon as the bees have been ren- 

 dered dry by the sun and air, and have 

 entirely recovered, I fasten in front of 

 the entrance to the cleaned hive a wire 

 screen, being 1% foot square in front 

 and from there up to the entrance 

 diminishing in size on all sides, the base 

 of which is horizontal up to the en- 

 trance ; below this horizontal bottom, a 

 sheet of paper is placed, to serve as a 

 receptacle for the excrements and im- 

 purities carried out by the bees, which 

 paper is to be changed daily. On one 

 side there is a small sliding door, 

 through which an unevenlydivided feed- 

 ing vessel is placed within, the larger 

 division of which contains thinned 

 honey with a little of the salicylic and 

 water solution, the smaller division 

 containing water. Having accomplished 

 all this I return all the bees to the hive, 

 and slide the window gradually up to the 

 renovated combs. Here now I confine 

 the bees for 2 or 3 days; they in the 

 meantime removing the remnants of 

 foul-brood, that have become hardened 

 through the influence of the spirit and 

 salicylic acid, from the combs. 



But that I may not have anything 

 more to do with this hive for the next 

 2 or 3 days, I shove through the opening, 

 which is situated in the rear, below the 

 window, a flat feeding vessel, which 

 possesses a shif table, perforated divi- 

 sion, and place it in such a manner that 

 the division wall is even with the win- 

 dow ; into the outer, smaller division I 

 place an uncorked wine bottle up side 

 down. This bottle is filled with thinned 

 honey, to which is added some of the 

 crushed pollen and also a small quantity 

 of salicylic acid solution ; as the bottle 

 stands with its mouth in the liquid of 

 the vessel, it is quite plain, that only so 

 much escapes from it, as is permitted 

 by the access of the air. 



In case such a diseased colony is very 

 much reduced, it is well to strengthen 

 it, by giving to them a capped brood 

 comb from a healthy hive, leaving all 

 the bees on it. The queen of a diseased 

 colony need not be caged ; at least I 

 have in such cases never had a queen 

 killed or injured. 



After a lapse of 2 or 3 days, I remove 

 the wire screen, allow the bees to fly 

 out, and in every case I had the pleasure 

 to find that the colony was cured. 



Whilst I give this method to the pub- 

 lic, it is my only desire, that my speedy 

 and thorough treatment in curing foul- 

 brood, may benefit all bee-keepers who 

 may have this disease in their apiaries 

 and to save to myself the trouble of 

 answering questions in regard to it. 



