1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



389 



On page 310 there is " A new treatment of 

 foul-brood " by our old friend Rambler, and a 

 recommendation to uncap a comb affected 

 with foul brood, and wash it under a faucet of 

 water running with considerable force. I 

 should like to point out the great danger of 

 this plan. The combs that are uncapped con- 

 tain thousands of spores ; and in washing, 

 many of these would be driven out of the cells 

 and spread by the running water, we know 

 not where; and as they are not destroyed they 

 are at any time ready to re-start the mischief. 

 When the combs are in this condition it is al- 

 ways safer to burn them, as we thus destroy 

 all the spores. Then as to formalin, I do not 

 think it would have any more effect upon the 

 spores than any of the other drugs have, al- 

 though it may be equally efficient in destroy- 

 ing bacilli. It seems to me that, in many 

 cases, the non-success of drugs has been ow- 

 ing to not properly understanding the great 

 difference between spores and bacilli. Now, 

 in any inquiry into the influence of one drug 

 or another on micro-organisms, it is necessary 

 to bear in mind that the influence of certain 

 conditions on the micro-organism may be a 

 twofold one. First, the condition may be un- 

 favorable to the growth of the organism; and, 

 second, the condition may be fatal to the life 

 and existence of it. The second condition in- 

 volves, a fortiori, the first; but the reverse is 

 not the case. A great deal of confusion has 

 arisen on this subject owing to the failure to 

 distinguish between these two propositions. 

 We constantly hear of this or that substance 

 being an " antiseptic," which means that it is 

 inimical to the growth of micro-organisms, or 

 that it is a " germicide," meaning that it kills 

 the organisms. The scientific man, of course, 

 knows and understands the difference between 

 the two; but the great bulk of people do not, 

 therefore they expect drugs to perform impos- 

 sibilities. I see Rambler calls formalin an an- 

 tiseptic, therefore it is probable that it will 

 prevent the growth of spores only while in 

 contact with it, or kill the bacilli. This is 

 precisely the behavior of all the other drugs 

 used, and they can do no more. Spores are 

 invested by a thick double membrane; the ex- 

 ternal sheath is supposed to be cellulose, and 

 the internal one probably of a fatty nature, 

 both being bad conductors of heat. It is this 

 double membrane that gives spores this great 

 resistance to high and low temperatures, to 

 acids and other substances. I do not think 

 any amount of soaking in water would render 

 the spores open to the influence of diluted 

 formalin. Now, we know there are many an- 

 tiseptics, and these can be used effectually 

 against foul brood. Carbolic acid, phenol, 

 thymol, salicylic acid, naphthol beta, perchlo- 

 ride of mercury, and manv other substances, 

 even when considerably diluted, prevem the 

 growth of bacilli. 



Now, we have had considerable success in 

 England in our treatment of foul brood, which 

 involves the use of drugs. We call this an 

 antiseptic treatment because it is the same in 

 principle as the antiseptic treatment in sur- 

 gery, which has made it possible to perform 

 with success the marvelous operations of the 



present day, and such as could not have been 

 effected without almost certain loss of life 

 from blood-poisoning induced by the growth 

 of various micro-organisms. We insist on an 

 antiseptic always being present in the hive or 

 in the food we give to our bees. No syrup or 

 honey is given without first being medicated, 

 and the antiseptic used kills any bacillus that 

 may be growing, or prevents the spore from 

 germinating, although it does not kill it. 

 Then we know that there are certain chemical 

 substances which evaporate at the ordinary 

 temperature of the hive, and whose vapors 

 prevent the growth of bacilli, although they 

 do not destroy them. Among these are euca- 

 lyptus, carbolic acid, phenyle (or creolin), ly- 

 sol, camphor, naphthalene, and others. For 

 convenience and economy we use naphthalene, 

 and have some of this always present in the 

 hive. Our treatment is this: If we detect the 

 disease in its earliest stage, before any of the 

 affected larvae are capped over, we simply feed 

 the bees with syrup medicated with naphthol 

 beta, because at this stage there are no spores 

 present. The medicated syrup is used by the 

 nurse-bees in preparing food for the larvae, 

 and in this way the bacilli are destroyed. It 

 is, however, seldom that the bee-keeper is suf- 

 ficiently expert or alert to detect the disease 

 at this stage, but more generally notices it 

 only when the combs have irregular patches 

 of brood, with sunken and perforated cappings 

 to the cells containing the coffee-colored mass 

 inside. In this condition the cells are crowd- 

 ed with innumerable spores, and the treat- 

 ment just mentioned would not have the slight- 

 est effect upon them. If the colony be weak 

 we destroy the bees, combs, and quilts, and 

 disinfect the hives. We thus destroy the 

 spores and so remove the source of infection. 

 Should the colony be strong in bees we make 

 an artificial swarm of them, confine them in 

 an empty hive, and feed on syrup medicated 

 with naphthol beta. We use this drug be- 

 cause it is non-poisonous or corrosive, and has 

 no odor repugnant to the bees, is a powerful 

 antiseptic, and can be used in great dilution, 

 thus rendering it economical. The frames, 

 combs, and quilts are then burned, and the 

 hives disinfected by being either steamed or 

 scrubbed with boiling water and soap, and 

 then painted over with a strong carbolic-acid 

 solution. The bees are confined in the empty 

 hive for 48 hours, by which time all the honey 

 they may have taken with them will be con- 

 sumed, and such of the bees as are diseased 

 will have died off. Those remaining are then 

 put into a clean hive furnished with full sheets 

 of comb foundation, and are fed with medi- 

 cated syrup for a few days longer. 



With this treatment, when faithfully carried 

 out, we have had considerable and very grati- 

 fying success. The whole secret of this suc- 

 cess lies in having the drug ever present to 

 act on the micro-organism, and either kill it 

 or prevent its development and growth. I do 

 not see why formalin, if used in the same way, 

 should not be as efficacious. 



[I am sure we bee-keepers of the Unite 1 

 States are exceedingly obliged to Mr. Cowan 



