596 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15 



but I would chose a thinner one if practica- 

 ble. Mr. Editor, by your indulgence, in 

 my next I will point out other advantages 

 of thin top- bars. Now that forced swarm- 

 ing is so largely coming into use, it is of 

 much importance that the wax bother be- 

 tween top bars be abated. 

 Aylmer (West), Ont., Can. 



[It would be difficult to make a glossary 

 that would have terms that would suit every 

 one. After all, nomecclaiure is a good deal 

 a matter of custom and general usage. You 

 can't change a name that is accepted. The 

 word 'burr-combs'' means those that are 

 built en top of the top-bars. Brace-combs 

 are those that are built between them — 

 bracelike — hence the name. I can not see 

 for the life of me why "brace combs" is 

 not an exact and appropriate name. 



You have given some good arguments in 

 favor of a medium thick top-bar. We had 

 just that kind of bar some three cr four 

 years ago; but in response to requests we 

 increased the thickness to /s ; but for all 

 that, I am inclined to think it would have 

 been better if we had stuck to the old thick- 

 ness — "Is. You have probably made this 

 one question a little more of a study than 

 the average person — the relation cf brace- 

 combs, combs between top-bars — to the 

 thickness of the same. Possibly we may 

 yet adopt a thinner bar. — Ed.] 



ONTARIO CO. bee-keepers' CONVENTION. 

 Reminiscences and Comments; a Good Article. 



BY F. nREINER. 



When, upward of 50 years ago, a few 

 bee-keepers of Germany concived the idea 

 of holding annual conventions, and sent out 

 invitations to the other bee keepers of their 

 acquaintance, one of them replied that he 

 did not see any necessity for attending such 

 gatherings, as he knew all there was to be 

 found out about bees. When we now look 

 back and see what has been found out about 

 this little insect, we almost feel sorry for a 

 man who could have any such idea of his 

 own knowledge. We to-day may know a 

 great deal more than this man did; but we 

 are still far from knowing all, and it will 

 certainly pay us to be on the watch and get 

 what information we can wherever we can. 

 Bee keepers' meetings are now not only so- 

 cial gatherings, although even as such they 

 are valuable, but they help to disseminate 

 knowledge; they help us, encourage us, 

 they return us every cent they cost us, and 

 much more. It is a great pity that so 

 many, who might, do not avail themselves 

 of the opportunities they offer. In many lo- 

 calities, for instance, the bee-keepers are 

 very much stirred up about foul brood. 

 Undoubtedly they have reason to be. Would 

 it not be wise in us " who do not know foul 

 brood," to post ourselves, to find out all 

 about it, particularly if this knowledge is 

 brought almost right to our doors? 



IS IT SAFE TO USE FOUNDATION MADE FROM 

 WAX OF FOUL-BROODY COMBS ? 



One of the topics on the program of the 

 Ontario County Beekeepers' meeting in 

 Canandaigua, Jan. 6 and 7, was foul brood, 

 although the dread disease had never made 

 its appearance in this part cf the State. 

 The man to handle the subject was no other 

 than Mr. N. E. France — a man who has 

 had a very extended and varied experience 

 with the disease, and one who could be re- 

 lied upon. I confess I came away from our 

 convention feeling a great deal easier, and 

 much better prepared to cope with the dis 

 ease should it appear in my yards, although 

 I have studied and read for 25 years all 

 about foul brood I could find. Let us re- 

 view a few of the things Mr. France told 

 about. 



1. The so called McEvoy treatment, if 

 followed to the letter, has cured every case 

 of foul brood Mr. France has ever met. 



What is the cost of treatment? That is a 

 grave question. Mr. F. answers it in this 

 way: He found an apiary of 200 colonies 

 badly infected or diseased. All colonies 

 had to be treated. The obtained combs 

 were melted up and made into wax. All 

 hands, the good woman of the owner in- 

 cluded, worked all night renderingthe combs 

 into wax and filling the boiled frames with 

 the foundation made from it on a given 

 foundation-press. The next day the colo- 

 nies could be placed on the foundation- fill- 

 ed frames; the hives were also boiled, and 

 so was the honey, which latter was heated 

 to a temperature not over 210 degrees, and 

 fed back to the bees as quickly as possible. 

 Not counting the rendering of the combs, 

 the whole operation of making the change 

 from hives full of foul brocd to clean hives 

 filled with clean sheets of comb foundation 

 amounted to just 16 cents per hive, and the 

 colonies were left in most excellent condi- 

 tion to take hold of the honej'-llow. Just 

 think! a whole apiary of 200 hives, full of 

 crooked imperfect combs, drone combs, etc., 

 changed to combs as perfect as can be, all 

 for 16 cents per hivel I feel inclined to give 

 my bees a like treatment just for the sake 

 of the perfect combs to be obtained thereby. 

 In the case related, nothing was lost except 

 some unhatched brood. Every thing else 

 was returned to the bees — hives, frames, 

 wax, hone}', within 24 hours. 



The owner ot another apiary could write 

 to Mr. France some time after the bees 

 were treated by the McEvoy plan: "The 

 occurrence of foul brood in my yard has 

 been a benefit to me. The colonies which 

 had been treated for foul brood have given 

 me more surplus honey than the healthy 

 colonies not so treated." 



The rendering of foul- broody combs into 

 wax, and using the obtained wax for foun- 

 dation, produces no bad effect, so says Mr. 

 F. To test this matter thoroughly he had 

 obtained quite a quantity of badly diseased 

 combs from different bee-yards. They 

 were made into wax under moderate heat. 

 Finally the wax was made into foundation 



