480 



may be the cause of the outbreak, and that 

 only one bee can get this single cause. The 

 larva or larvsB die ; and, in the case of Ital- 

 ians, are quite likely to be picked up and 

 carried bodily from the hive. The more 

 economical black bee first sucks out the 

 juices of the dead larva and then casts out 

 the skin. These juices are then fed to the 

 other larva?, and the disease spreads rapidly 

 thru the colony. Thus it follows that the 

 Italian bee individually is no more immune 

 to that germ than is the black. It is fatal 

 to both; but the Italian, thru its different 

 habits, appears to be immune. 



One can easily see how the foregoing 

 explanation will account for various aspects 

 offered by this disease, and how it in par- 

 ticular explains the cure wrought by the 

 temporary removal of the queen. It also 

 suggests the possibility of medicinal treat- 

 ment. If one can feed a mild disinfectant, 

 why cannot the germs in the larval food be 

 rendered iHnocuous? 



The older readers will recall that Alex- 

 ander of buckwheat-honey fame often stat- 

 ed that the coming of the buckwheat-flow 

 did away with European foul brood. The 

 writer thought that possibly there was some 

 mild acid in buckwheat nectar which killed 

 the germs of that disease. Why, then, not 

 feed some mild acid to the bees? This was 

 tried last summer. Some fifteen colonies 

 were thus treated, and in every case the 

 disease disappeared. Mild and severe cases 

 all went, some quickly, others lingeringly. 

 One week of treatment made a most marked 

 effect in some colonies, while in othere three 

 VN^eeks passed before improvement was 

 marked. But they all finally became well, 

 and are today on their old original combs, 

 and, so far as known, perfectly healthy. 



The treatment consisted simply of feed- 

 ing the juice of one lemon daily to each 

 colony. Half a pint or so of thin syrup 

 was made, and the lemon juice stirred in. 

 In other words, a rich lemonade was made 

 and fed to the bees. 



One of my strongest colonies became 

 diseased, and in about ten days was so foul 

 that one could smell it six feet from the 

 hive. It was rank, fully thirty per cent of 

 the larvae being dead and rotting. After 

 seven lemons had been given this colony 

 there was scarcely one per cent of diseased 

 larvae, and in three weeks the colony was 

 entirely well, and stored three supers of 

 honey, equaling colonies which had not been 

 diseased at all. The oueen was not caged 

 at all, and no treatment whatsoever was 

 used except the lemonade. 



In marked contrast with this colony was 

 another. To make the case of this one 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



clear it is well to relate its previous history. 

 In July, ini4, this colony was found dis- 

 eased in an out-apiai-y. Its queen was cag- 

 ed. By an oversight nothing more was done 

 to this colony till in October, when by 

 chance it was discovered that the queen was 

 still caged, having been there some eleven 

 weeks. She was liberated, and the colony 

 was brought to the home yard for observa- 

 tion. There were still nearly 8000 bees; 

 and tho they were all at that time old, I 

 decided to try to bring the colony thru the 

 winter, and into condition without assis- 

 tance. It wintered successfully, thanks to 

 the longevity of Banat bees, for the queen 

 was a grade Banat. Tho very weak in the 

 spring of 1915, the queen soon had brood in 

 two combs, and at first no sign of disease 

 showed. But about the time the disease 

 broke out in other colonies this one again 

 became diseased. The old queen died, never 

 having been very vigorous after her long 

 confinement. Another queen of resistant 

 strain was given the colony. Slowly but 

 surely it began to pick up, but showed no 

 marked gain till the bees of the new queen 

 appeared on the scene. Lemonade was ad- 

 ministered for about five weeks. By July 

 the colony was clean, and it even went into 

 the super, tho it stored no finished sections. 



In speaking of this treatment with other 

 beekeepers I have been told that it was not 

 the lemonade, but merely the stimulating 

 feeding that did the work. If this be true 

 then so much the better. If we can cure 

 European foul brood merely by the feeding 

 of some six or eight pounds of sugar syrup, 

 it should be generally known. I have not 

 put the matter to a test, but I am satisfied 

 that the lemonade will do it if the syrup 

 alone cannot. 



Shaking may be desirable in some cases, 

 especially during a honey-flow when the 

 colony can recover from the shock. But the 

 lemonade treatment is desirable when there 

 is no honey-flow. Colonies too weak to 

 shake can be built up to strength, and a 

 cure wrought by the expenditure of the 

 price of a dozen or so lemons and six 

 pounds of sugar. If one will, at the first 

 appearance of the disease, use the carbolic 

 acid as suggested as a preventive, then 

 treat the diseased colonies with lemonade, 

 he can bring his apiary thru the attack 

 with very little loss. 



Much has been said about the danger of 

 the reappearance of the disease when the 

 old combs are still in the hive. In my own 

 experience I have found no tendency to that 

 reappearance, the new cases being about 

 equally divided between colonies which have 

 never had the disease before and colonies 



