1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



L3.S 



troughs were put in place and nailed with two 

 nails. The end troughs, being smaller, fit in 

 the bottom trough. The division-board was 

 now pushed down in these troughs, and there 

 was no possibility of a bee getling from one 

 side to the other. The entrance of the hive 

 was closed at the center for about 7 inches, 

 making the two entrances 7 inches apart, and 

 there was no trouble about bees getting into 

 the wrong side nor about queens mating. 

 PARAFFINE PAPER. 



On page SS9, Mr. Editor, you say you think 

 I lost sight of the point that parafiine paper 

 must be cushioned down tight on the sections. 

 Not a bit of it. I had in view all the time 

 all that had been said, bulwti have lost sight 

 of the point I was atter. I think you will not 

 find that I said anywhere that paraffine paper 

 tightly cushioned down would be of no use. 

 The only point I was after, and the only one I 

 said any thing about, unless I am very much 

 mistaken, was that bees had such an antipathy 

 to paraffine that they would not deposit pro- 

 polis on it. Here's what I said: " My own ex- 

 perience says that entirely too much has been 

 claimed for paraffine. My bees deliberately 

 plaster glue right on the paraffine " You will 

 remember that on page Vo(i, 1896, it was said, 

 " Bees disliked paraffine," and that they were 

 not inclined to deposit propolis to paper whose 

 surface was paraffined. I was much pleased 

 to learn that, and suggested that, if it was 

 correct, it would be a good plan to paint with 

 paraffine the ends of tlie top-bars. But, to my 

 disappointment, I could not find that my bees 

 had any objection to putting glue on it. And 

 that's the only thing 1 referred to. See? 



While I think too much was claimed for 

 paraffine, it is just possible that bees may have 

 .some dislike to it, and it would be well to 

 know how that is. With the paper cushioned 

 down tight, will bees refrain from gluing it 

 any more because it has paraffine on its surface 

 than if it were beeswax or lard ? 



Marengo, 111., Dec. Ml. 



[We used to winter our nuclei on exactly this 

 same plan, and it worked well. The uniting 

 after one queen died or was sold, was the 

 easiest part of it. We don't use the plan now, 

 as we now sell off the f|ueens in the fall. — Ed.] 



REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF APIARIES. 



Thirty-four out of Sixty-si.\ Apiaries Visited Dis- 

 eased ; tiie Insiieitor's Manner of Procedure. 



BY WM. M'EVOY. 



During 1897 I visited bee-yards in the 

 counties of Welland, Lincoln, Wentworth, 

 Brant Norfolk, Kent, Huron, Grey, Perth, 

 Oxford, Waterloo, Cardwell, York, Ontario, 

 and Sinicoe. I examined H() apiaries, and found 

 foul brood in 34 of them. I found several 

 of the largest and l^est apiaries in the province 

 very badly diseased through the bees robbing 

 foul-broody colonies that had been brought 

 from other parts of Ontario and placed near 

 them. Some of the owners of these fine api- 

 aries had invested from .$500 to $800 in bees — 



one man over $1000 ; and to get their good 

 apiaries badly diseased through foul-broody 

 colonies being shipped into their localities 

 was pretty hard to bear with; but I am satis- 

 fied that /!0>ie of the parties that either bought 

 or sold the diseased colonies that had been 

 shipped knew that they had foul brood at the 

 time of sale. I also found many colonies very 

 badly diseased through the owners using old 

 combs that they got from parties who had 

 lost all their bees by foul brood. None of 

 these men knew that the old combs were dis- 

 eased, or were able to tell the stain-mark of 

 o/d foul brood on the lower side of the cells. 

 Comb foundation is a safe and very valuable 

 thing to use, and those who need combs 

 should use plenty of it, and not run any risks 

 by using old combs from apiaries where all 

 the bees have died. 



When going through every colony in a dis- 

 eased apiary I marked them according to the 

 condition I found them in, putting one pencil- 

 cross on the front of one hive, two crosses on 

 another, and three on all very bad ones. After 

 we got through examining all the colonies we 

 knew the true condition of things fjy the 

 number of crosses on the fronts of the hives. 

 vSome of the colonies I advised to be doubled 

 the same evening, and the combs made into 

 wax; and when the work was done in the 

 honey season I had considerable increase made 

 from those least diseased, and, as a rule, end- 

 ed the season with more colonies than I began 

 with, and all in grand condition. 



At our annual meeting that was held in 

 London in 1892 I said that my method of 

 curing diseased apiaries of foul brood would, 

 in the near future, be followed by the bee- 

 keepers of every land. I am very much 

 pleased to say that my method of treatment is 

 not only followed by the bee-keepers of Can- 

 ada and the United States, but is all the go in 

 far-off Australia ; and for this nice state of 

 affairs I thank the editors of all the bee- 

 journals. Everywhere I went in the past 

 season to inspect the apiaries I found every 

 bee-keeper pleased to have me examine his 

 colonies; and for the very nice way that I was 

 treated by every person I return to all my 

 most heartfelt thanks. I burned tW'O colo- 

 nies in one apiary, two in another, two in a 

 third place, and a quantity of diseased combs, 

 and three in a fourth locality. The owners 

 helped to burn some of the diseased colonies, 

 and the other bee-keepers were consenting 

 parties to have the few worthless colonies 

 burned. I am also pleased with the way all 

 the other bee-keepers took hold and' cured 

 their diseased colonies that had foul brood in 

 the summer. While examining their colonies 

 to see if the bees had enough honey for win- 

 ter, some people fttund things not right. I 

 found it to be pure foul brood. I explained 

 how to cure it in the most profitable way and 

 put every thing in order. My time, car fare, 

 and livery hire, was $525.90. 



Woodburn, Ont., Can., Dec. (i. 



[Inspector McEvoy has had more experi- 

 ence, and more to do with foul brood, than 

 any other man in the world. While I think I 

 know very nearly his method of cure which 



