78 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 1 



bees had robbed his hives. Also in every 

 case, when inspecting later, I found these 

 neighbors' yards diseased. My bees, being 

 principally Italians, were easily identified, 

 and lined to the nearest apiary. Realizing 

 now that the location must be cleaned up if 

 a permanent cure were made, I finally con- 

 sented to act as deputy inspector, covering 

 as much territory as possible surrounding 

 my yards. This trip, unfortunately, caused 

 some temporary bad feeling among neigh- 

 bors who failed to grasp at once the intent 

 of the law; but, happily, the work proved a 

 success in eradicating the disease. 



We used the McEvoy treatment entirely, 

 and also required disinfection of hives by 

 burning them out after burying the diseas- 

 ed combs. Black bees prevailed in these 

 small apiaries; yet where the work was faith- 

 fully performed I know of no failures in the 

 cure. 



My story shall deal principally with ex- 

 periments, systems, and results, actually 

 obtained in my own and neighbors' apiaries. 

 I shall draw some conclusions and advance 

 some theories; but the latter, however, are 

 given merely for what they are worth and 

 with the earnest hope of contradiction and 

 correction by any brother who may know 

 better; for as yet we are too ignorant of 

 this disease to be sure of theories. 



Dr. Phillips and Dr. White, at Washing- 

 ton, D. C, are studying the disease from a 

 bacteriological standpoint. It has proven a 

 tough proposition, acting in most uncertain 

 and unreasonable ways. As Dr. Phillips 

 aptly remarks, "The man who knows the 

 least about the disease, usually thinks he 

 know the most." When the work at Wash- 

 ington shall have been completed, the ex- 

 citing cause determined, and other intricate 

 l^roblems worked out concerning bacilli and 

 spores, we may then learn things which will 

 call for material changes in our treatment. 

 We now know that, when we do certain 

 things under certain conditions, the disease 

 becomes cured; but having, perhaps, done 

 several things, or having done the same 

 thing under peculiar circumstances, we can, 

 in reality, only conjecture the real cause of 

 the cure. Until these problems shall have 

 been worked out, therefore, we can not af- 

 ford to accept too seriously a mere theory. 



SYMPTOMS OF EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD. 



Early stages show an occasional dead lar- 

 va (unsealed) apparently about four or five 

 days old, and which is slightly yellow or 

 cream-colored. Sometimes the larva will 

 extend the length of the cell in a partially 

 dried-down dark-colored scale. Mature 

 brood may be found hatching, but there 

 will be scattering open cells in the midst 

 where larvtB have died and been cleaned 

 out. The unsealed larvae are invariably the 

 principal sufferers. 



Advanced stages show only an occasional 

 young bee hatching and but little sealed 

 brood; some cells will be found containing 

 dead larvti; with the cappings broken into, 

 and the diseased combs filthy and ill-smell- 

 ing. The majority of cells will be found un- 



sealed, containing dead larv* in all stages, 

 and varying from a yellow to a dark muddy 

 color. The older larvse slump into a shape- 

 less irregular mass on the bottom or side of 

 the cell, while the younger ones are some- 

 times curled up in a natural position. In 

 rare cases the mass will rope out for about 

 half an inch, but never any thing like 

 American foul brood. Also the diseased 

 matter occasionally assumes a salve-like 

 granular ajipearance. It is then almost 

 chocolate-colored and ill-smelling, and it 

 lies on the bottom of the open cell. 



Where the disease has been treated, mild 

 returning cases may be detected most sure- 

 ly by a scattered appearance of the brood. 

 This condition is usually found among Ital- 

 ians which are doing a good job of cleaning 

 out dead larvae, but whose queen is not up 

 to standard. Such colonies should in no 

 case be overlooked, for they are not only un- 

 profitable, but they are sources of future 

 danger and contagion as well. 



ELEMENTS OR SOURCES OF CONTAGION. 



Infected honey is, no doubt, the principal 

 cause for the spread of this disease from one 

 apiary to another. In my yards, in every 

 instance it was started through easily trace- 

 able robbing. Mr. Simmins, an English 

 authority on European foul brood, suggests 

 that the infection may be carried on the bod- 

 ies or feet of the robbers by reason of their 

 fighting in masses over filthy brood. He also 

 suggests that honey might be mixed with 

 material from diseased cells if these combs 

 were extracted. No doubt honey on the 

 market might be thus infected; but I dis- 

 like very much to think that any bee-keep- 

 er would violate a pure-food law, and, fur- 

 thermore, a law of common decency, by ex- 

 tracting and selling honey from combs con- 

 taining diseased material. However correct 

 this theory may be, I feel satisfied that 

 there are times when honey may be infect- 

 ed in other ways than the above, and I offer 

 the following examples as positive proof 

 that colonies under certain conditions will j 

 contract European foul brood from diseased ■ 

 honey. One bee-keeper in southern Indiana i 

 fed his bees honey which was purchased of 

 Mr. Alexander about the time the disease 

 was in his yards. Another case was brought 

 to my notice where a small dealer in honey 

 allowed the bees to clean out cans in which 

 he had purchased honey. The infection 

 which was started in the apiaries of these 

 men was clearly of this origin, for no such 

 trouble had ever been known in the vicinity 

 of either. Admitting, as we do, that these 

 men were extremely careless, let us forever 

 explode the theory that the germs of Euro- 

 pean foul brood can not be carried and trans- 

 mitted to bees through the medium of honey. 



During the inspection of Indiana, in 1909, 

 our force found that about one-half of the 

 new swarms from diseased apiaries carried 

 the disease with them, or at least they show- 

 ed it at the first hatching of brood. Was 

 the disease carried in honey? did the nurse 

 bees carry it? or was it transmitted in some 

 other way? Those who have had experience 



