May 1, 1902. 



AMERICAN BEE JOUFNAL 



277 



is discasi'd, tlidii yoM can tell, as I have (hmo, tliat yoii liavi! 

 curi'd it., liiit, yon tell lis to dcsl.i'oy it liy biiniliiK it. Tlial is 

 (•(|iial to tli(>, prstlioiisc. Did lliat I'liro it ? Do you know liow 

 many cities wcri' dostroyi'd? Kven to day wlion wi^ ar<^ caii'li'ss 

 of tlin small-pox It spreads in our town. Wo vaccinate iviiy 

 one. VVc want to discover a cure, and not apjily it to om- tjut 

 to ev(!ry eolonv, and if you are careful even to tlii^ nelKlilior's 

 bees, and if y(Mi liiid it will cure it, as you must sooner or 

 later, llieii you liavi> achieved soinelliiiiK- Here is a Kenl !■■- 

 man tliat out of (H)7 colonies saved Ihrcic. Might just as wi-ll 

 bnrii tlieiii all at first, then. 



Mr. jMarvin— llo was trying other experiments. 



SHIPI'ING FOUL-BROODY C0L0NIK8 INTO ILLINOIS. 



"Can a bee-l<eeper 1)(^ prevented from hriufiing foul-broody 

 colonies into Illinois '.' " 



Mr. Moore — I tliink aoreat many f,hint;-s on this foul-brood 

 question, but I don't suppose I can express tlieni in a way Miat 

 will he particularly interestiii}j;-. About two years ago I found 

 I liad foul brood in my ajiiary. I had no ex]ierienci\ with it 

 whatever, but I bej^aii to read up on that (luestion and I 

 striififiled alonjr in my weak, imperfect way attemptinf;; to ;;ct 

 rid of th(^ disease. I studied up the McEvoy treatment and 

 tried to carry it out. I failed in this. Last summer, in my 

 apiary- I had about 30 colonies at that time — I repeatedly 

 took all the bees off the honey and frames and o-ave them 

 ni>w frames, and gave them foundation, burning the whole 

 thin;; up bodily, except the hive and bees. The result was I 

 lost 20 colonies and out of the eleven I now have I am satis- 

 fied four or live are still diseased. I would have no objection 

 to burning them up if I could get rid of it. I had any quan- 

 titv of kindling, so that where I burnt up a pound of foul 

 brood I had ten pounds of kindling to burn it with, and I got 

 the lire good and burning, and I put it on and am satisfied 

 that everything was burned up. Dig up tlie ashes and bury 

 them in the ground about a foot, and you have clinched the 

 thing. I think there is no way for the ordinary, every-day 

 bee-keeper to get rid of it without burning it up. The ]Mc- 

 Evoy treatment may be all right for Dr. Miller, who can 

 spend days and weeks at it, but for ordinary, everyday b(^e- 

 keepers it is a failure. To burn up everything that conies in 

 touch with it, even the hives, I am satisfied is the way to do it, 

 excepting of the honey, brood and frames. Burn it up, then 

 you liavc a fair, fighting chance. Mr. Marvin says you don't 

 get foul brood from the outside, and you would better get rid 

 of it in your own apiary when it is there. My experience is 

 from B8 colonies down to 11, and nearly everything I have 

 now is infected with foul brood, and I have been experiment- 

 ing long with it. Perliaps if I had spent all my time at that, 

 and quit my other business. I would have gotten rid of it, but 

 in my ow'n weak way I have tried to get rid of it and I have 

 failed absolutely. The first thing, we ought to have a good, 

 drastic law in this State. No use in going into details. You 

 all have read about the laws other States have. Well, that 

 covers tlic thing completely. A foul-brood inspector soes 

 with them, and burns and destroys if necessary. 1 take it that 

 there are 12 apiaries in this (Cook) county that are infected 

 now with foul brood, and there is a chance to infect the whole 

 State with foul brood. 



Mr. Clarke — Can Mr. Moore tell us what time of the year 

 it was when his colonies were infected ? 



Mr. Moore — It was mostly last spring, from April to .Inly. 

 Mr. Clarke — Was it in April or May ? 

 Mr. Moore — Probably May, .June and July. 

 Mr. Clarke — You did your work in the worst possible time 

 you could. This not only from my experience but from every 

 bee-keeper's around, as there were very few days that you 

 could open the hive and not have robbers come in. and you 

 would get it into every other colony you had in the yard. 



Mr. Moore — It is very easy to talk about what is the best 

 thing to do. It is very easy to read McEvoy, but you know- 

 how hard it is to go home and carry out to the letter things 

 that we believe are right to do. We won't do it. The moral 

 is, to take the most drastic possible method with your case of 

 foul brood. Do the thing you are absolutely certain the foul 

 brood won't get away from, and I say there is nothing else 

 but tlie consuming tire that will break up foul brood. 



A Member — If this method is proceeded in, and a drastic 

 law enacted by which all foul brood is destroyed beyond all 

 recognition, where is there ever going to be any chance to ex- 

 periment ? 



Mr. Marvin — I think we liave had too much experiment- 

 ing. When men can't get up here and tell us — among all the 

 bee-keepers, and women, too — how to cure it, and cure iteflfec- 

 tually, I think it about time to exterminate it, and I think that 

 is the cheapest way. We don't want to spend money for 

 nothing. Go right to work and exterminate it right at the 



start when we find we liave it, and then start In again liuyiiig 

 new comb; I think this Is the cheapest In the long run. 



Mr. Clarke— 1 have tried the McEvoy treatment, and I 

 have never known It to fall if it is done properly. 



Mr. .Moore— Your bees now have foul brood? 



Mr. Moon — 1 am likely to liave It in the si)ring because I 

 have It around me. Directly you have foul brood in tlie colony 

 it will show it. 



Mr. Dadant -From the outside? 



Mr. Clarke — From its work. 



Mr. llorstmann — When I first noticed foul brood I had 

 live colonies, and I have increased to 27. I liad 1,700 pounds 

 of honey tlie past season and cleaned out, 1 think, five or seven 

 colonics. I worked on the McEvoy plan, and got over W) 

 pounds of honey from the colony I treated in June. If that 

 doesn't show up well, I will give up. 



Dr. Miller There are some of us who haven't any foul 

 lirood in our apiaries. We will all take foul brood home with 

 us. I move we change the subject. 



" What is the best way to prevent foul brood, and keep it 

 out?" 



Mr. Dunn--That"s what we all want to know. 



Mr. Stanley— I have tried it. I think it can be done without 

 burning the bees and destroying them. I will explain my way. 

 It is to re-queen the colony, and about ten days afterwards 

 shake the bee? off the combs on the starters, and boil the combs 

 up and use for wax, and the honey can be used after boiling. 

 In 1884 we had over 200 colonies, and treated about 20 that 

 way. and we had a barrel of lioney and had no bad results. 



Dr. Miller— That's the McEvoy treatment, but you had 

 the additional — 



Mr. Stanlev — Then I re-queen the colony. 



Mr. Horstrnann— I would advise no one to handle foul- 

 broody colonies unless there is a good honey-flow on. Then 

 you will have no robbing ; but lie sure that there is a good 

 honey-flow on. 



A Member— Did anybody ever know foul brood to spread 

 during a good season? It is during a poor season— that's, 

 when it spreads. 



Mr. Walker— We don't have poor seasons here. There 

 are several quite important particulars that he might tell us 

 about. As to whether he handles them in broad daylight or 

 was careful to handle them just at dark, and careful to see 

 that no bees got into some adjoining colonies, as they are put 

 off. I have had experience with foul brood for at least 20 

 years. I fancy Mr. Moore asking me why I am not rid of it 

 now. I am rid of it now: and I will say that I have had more 

 or less of it nearly every day from 20 years ago up to now, 

 but it is because I have had to ship so many bees from differ- 

 ent places. I have found out that foul brood, when you sup- 

 pose vou are rid of it you have to go at it again to get rid of 

 it. It has been eternal vigilance in my case. McEvoy's 

 treatment I have adopted, and it is all-sufticient. Some have 

 tried a few cases, one season or two. and sit in judgment on 

 Mr. McEvoy, to find out whether his treatment is proper or 

 not. By way of suggestion, I tliink we get honey from all 

 over creation, and then transport it all over, and expect to get 

 rid of foul brood, and keep rid of it. 



Pres. York — " Can a bee-keeper be prevented from bring- 

 ing foul-broody colonies into Illinois ? "' Does any one know ? 

 Dr. Miller— I don't believe there is a law to prevent it. 

 Pres. York — " Is the queen responsible for foul brood?" 

 How manv think she is — raise the hand. Two. 



Pres.York— '• With foul brood one-half to three-fourths 

 of a mile from you, is it possible to keep from it in your own 

 apiary?" How many think it is?'' 



Dr. Miller— It depends upon what kind of neighbors you 

 have to keep bees. 



A Member— Was foul brood ever known to exist in bees in 

 a wild state ? 



Dr. Miller— Yes. 



(To be contiaaed.) 



The Texas State Convention. 



The 24th annual session of the Texas State Bee-Keepers 

 Association was held in Greenville, April 2. 1902. Yice- 

 President J. M. Hagood called the meeting to order, and 

 prayer was offered by the chaplain. About 25 bee-men were 

 present, representing nearly 3.000 colonies of bees, and an 

 average of 20 pounds of honey per colony the past year, 

 which vear was the hardest on bee-culture in the experience 

 of bee-keepers. 



The convention was in session two days, and topics of 

 great interest to all were discussed. 



