302 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aprii, 15. 



power than those of Bacillics thoracis, all oth- 

 er things being equal; but Bacillus viilii, be- 

 ing aiicsrobic, growing better without oxygen 

 or atmospheric air, the exposure of these 

 germs or their spores to the atmosphere would 

 possibly prove detrimental to their vitaHty. 

 While Bacillus thoracis is cFrobic — thrives bet- 

 ter in the atmosphere, it would possibly resist 

 atmospheric influences for a longer period. 

 The spore formation of Bacillus alvei, the 

 germ of foul brood, has been carefully stud- 

 ied, and, although endosporous, and retires to 

 the spore or resting stage only when the food 

 medium has lost its nutritive qualities, the 

 spores lose their vitality in 24 to 36 hours 

 when exposed to the atmosphere. [Author's 

 Foul Brood., p. 21.] 



Again, the larvae and pupae alone are at- 

 tacked, and it has been shown that the dis- 

 ease does not spread through the atmosphere. 

 [x\uthor's Foul Brood, p. 12.] 



When all of these points in the biological 

 characters of the germs of black brood have 

 been made plain we shall then have a definite 

 knowledge of that with which we have to 

 contend ; for here is a disease in which it is 

 strongly suspected that flying bees are affect- 

 ed ; and of these, thousands daily leave their 

 hives never to return, scattering the germs far 

 and wide, to be borne by the strong winds, or 

 wafted by the gentle zephyrs to new fields of 

 infection. Much careful work yet remains to 

 be done ; but it will take time and constant 

 attention to detail — many experiments, hun- 

 dreds of cultures and trial cultures to be made, 

 testing the powers of resistance to certain en- 

 vironments, before anything definite or relia- 

 ble can be obtained. 



CAGING OUEENS. 



The impracticability of caging queens is 

 fully appreciated ; but the apparent necessity 

 in our present light makes it worthy of trial. 

 Bees are naturally restless and discouraged 

 when the queen is caged. When in a starving 

 condition, or affected with a disease which in- 

 terferes with or disturbs brood-rearing, any 

 condition which causes rapid depopulation 

 produces a tendency to swarm out or leave 

 their hive, and caging the queen augments 

 this general uneasiness. More especially is 

 this so in weak colonies during a dearth of 

 honey in the field. During a good honey- 

 flow this general disturbance is reduced to a 

 minimum — first, because bees are encouraged 

 by the new honey ; and if strong in numbers 

 there is less uneasiness attending the abnor- 

 mal condition within ; and, secondly, the 

 dark masses containing the germs are usually 

 covered up for the time being, and to a great- 

 er or less extent the disease disappears ; con- 

 sequently the bees do not seem so distressed. 

 In connection with caging queens, feeding 

 inside of the hive, in the evening, until the 

 combs are well filled, will have a tendency to 

 allay this uneasiness. 



In treating foul brood and pickled brood, 

 after making the stocks strong by uniting I 

 have caged the queen and fed generously 

 within the hive, and had fair success in hold- 

 ing the bees quiet until all danger was passed. 



Another plan which dispenses with caging 



queens, in a great measure safe and worthy 

 of trial: In the modified McEvoy plan, in- 

 stead of caging the queen, feed heavily within 

 the hive the salicylated syrups- for at least 

 ten days All of the germs deposited for the 

 first five days would fail to grow, and would 

 be removed when the full sheets of founda- 

 tion were given ; and if these syrups were 

 continued five or six da-'s, or longer, there 

 world be no immediate recurrence, and possi- 

 bly a permanent cure. 



DISINFECTION. 



Boiling hives and fixtures for an hour in 

 water would answer fairly well ; but the tem- 

 perature could not be raised to that of boiling 

 oil or superheated steam. New York Foul- 

 brood Inspector N. D. West's plan of holding 

 a hive ov(.r a large gasoline torch or flame, 

 would completely disinfect all surfaces reach- 

 ed by the flames. Moist heat is more destruc- 

 tive to germ life than dry heat. 



In conclusion let me say that sufficient evi- 

 dence has been presented to show that we 

 have something new, and at present, appar- 

 ently, more malignant and more destructive 

 than the worst enemy hitherto known ; but 

 careful, practical, and experimental work in 

 the presence of this disease when at its worst 

 will, I feel confident, discover seme practical 

 plan for its successful eradication. 



STARTING AN APIARY IN CUBA. 



Some of the Drawbacks. 



BY HARRY HOWE. 



Having at last decided in a general way 

 where the new apiary was to go I began to 

 figure on what I will call the immediate loca- 

 tion. Here again there was a wide choice; 

 but when I began to try to rent the various 

 pieces I found that there were but few that I 

 could get at any price. Finallj- I went to a 

 man who has some very large tracts of land, 

 and tried to get on some corner of that. In- 

 stead of renting me the land he made me a 

 proposition to go in partnership in the bee 

 business. It se<. ms that he had 2000 colonies 

 in box hives before the war, and now he want- 

 ed to replace them with modern hive s. After 

 much discussion of details we fixed up some 

 terms that we could both agree upon, and 

 made out the papers. This gives me absolute 

 control of nearly all of my bee-pasturage, for 

 we can locate ten apiaries on the farm with- 

 out crowding. As a matter of fact, I have lo- 

 cated ni}' first three apiaries along the good 

 stone road on one side of the farm in order to 

 have possession of those good locations which 

 some one else might get by going on the oth- 

 er side of the road. The places back in the 

 center of the 6600-acre tract can wait. 



There are two other men in the same town 

 who own large tracts of land, and who would 

 like to make similar deals with some practical 

 bee-man. 



Along the stone road is a strip that is under 



♦Sodium salicylate one ounce, water five gallons, 

 white sugar forty pounds. Make syrup without heat. 



