1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



371 



July was the one to wliich he traced his trou- 

 bles. It was her progeny that first showed 

 signs of the disease. The disease, however, 

 did not become virulent until 1S92. That sea- 

 son the apiary numbered ()() colonies, from which 

 were obtained 9000 lbs. of honev. The apiary 

 was increased to 102. In 1893 the bees died off 

 so rapidly that no honey was prod'uced; and at 

 the present time there are about 20 hives that 

 have bees in them, or, as Mr. McF. says, 

 not enough bees to make .5 good colonies, and 

 still dying. The queens seemed to lay rapidly, 

 and young bees hatch; but about the time they 

 were old enough to fly, the disease would take 



The progeny from these queens were all more 

 or less affected with the disease. Mr. Douse 

 has discarded the Italian bee entirely, and sub- 

 stituted the black bee, and claims they are not 

 much affected by the disease. 



Mr. McF. believes in the microbe theory, and 

 believes that the drones carry the disease. 

 Males from a diseased queen, mating with 

 queens from colonies heretofore healthy, would 

 communicate the disease. In that way the 

 queen of July 25, 1889, would thus hand the dis- 

 ease down from generation to generation. As 

 Mr. McF. lives only four miles from Clareraont 

 the case has been presented to Prof. Cook, and 



PACKIXG-BOXES FOR BEE-HIVES; THE EFFECT CALIFOKNIA CLIMATE HAS ON BOARDS. 



hold of them, and the mortality was so great 

 that double handfuls of bees could be taken up 

 in front of the hives. The entrances would 

 also become clogged with the rapidly dying 

 bees. The few remaining hives in the apiary 

 gave us a chance to see the results, and nearly 

 all of the bees in front of the hives had the ap- 

 pearance of healthy bees, and only a very few 

 had that shiny look wliich so often gives warn- 

 ing of the disease. Further inquiry revealed 

 the fact that, after the preliminary stages of 

 the disease had developed in 1890, queens were 

 purchased by Mr. M. and by Mr. Douse, from 

 Doolittle, Trego, Mrs. Atchley, and others. 



it is hoped he can give us some light upon the 

 subject. Prof. C. has certainly a good subject 

 to study. 



I asked Mr. McF. if he had tried the salt 

 remedy. 



"Yes, sir, 'e." said he; '"I have tried salt 

 weak and strong: sprayed and dipped almost to 

 the verge of killing the bees with the remedy." 



:Mr. ?»IcF. had practiced migratory bee-keep- 

 ing with good results in the past, moving the 

 bees from among the fruit-trees to the sage in 

 the foot-hills. In front of his honey-house I 

 noticed three large hives which were explained, 

 and used for rearing early queens. Although 



