526 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July, 1917 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



to one hundred per cent diseased, I follow 

 the above method — only, instead of sheets 

 of foundation, I give them all the healthy 

 brood they can cover. If the colony is fair- 

 ly strong, and only ten to fifteen per cent 

 diseased, I do not bother to remove the 

 brood, but just introduce my new queen as 

 soon as possible. 



My treatment sounds almost too simple to 

 be practicable, but it has been successful in 

 my apiary. 



I find that, where European foul brood ex- 

 ists, one should not attempt to raise queens 

 in a yard of black bees, for hybrid stock 

 does not resist this disease. In the spring 

 of 1915 I had forty diseased colonies, and 

 in every case the bees were hybrids. Ei- 

 ther an Italian queen had mated to a black 

 drone or else the Italian queen that I in- 

 troduced had been killed and a hybrid rais- 

 ed. In 1916 I had two cases out of 350 

 colonies, and both were blacks that stole a 

 march on me and raised a queen of their' 

 own. 



The disease is oai every side of me and 

 raging thruout the state. Yet, in spite of 

 this fact, my yards are free from it, so I 

 think I have whipped it completely. I have 

 no love for either form of foul brood; but 

 my preference is for the American style of 

 the disease, as its elimination is easier and 

 quicker, and not nearly as expensive. 



Reno, Nevada. M. W. Harvey. 



European Foul Brood and Queen-cells 

 with Dead Tenants 



On page 45 of the January number Dr. 

 Miller, referring to what I say on page 

 1077, to the eff^ect that, so far as lies in our 

 power, we should not let worker-bees have 

 a chance to clean out larvte diseased with 

 European foul brood, makes this comment: 

 " I risk the guess that, after our tall friend 

 has had a little longer acquaintance with 

 the disease, he'll change his mind." 



Look here. Dr. Miller, when you get to a 

 ripe old age you will appreciate the fact 

 that a man often knows a great deal less 

 in his younger days than he then realizes. 

 Years ago, I remember, a bacteriologist said 

 that if microbes were as large as turkeys, 

 and could be as readily detected with the 

 eye, one could understand by what means 

 and to what extent the microbes were trans- 

 ported. We can forgive the average bee- 

 keeper for not being able to understand the 

 principles of bacteriology, but T am not 



going to forgive you if you fail. You have 

 a scientific education ; and you know that, 

 when the bees undertake to clean out this 

 dead brood, they must infect their own 

 bodies, other parts of the liive thru which 

 the dead brood is dragged, and quite likely 

 other bees with which they come in contact. 

 Nor is that all. After the dead brood has 

 been dragged outside of the hive there is 

 the danger that the infection may blow into 

 other hives and carry the disease there. 



These are the reasons that I prefer to 

 cut out the diseased comb. It is an old 

 saying, that " familiarity breeds contempt." 

 But the wholesome respect that I have for 

 European foul brood will more than bal- 

 ance the expected familiarity. 



Altho I clo not know that the beekeepers 

 of New York are in the right, still let me 

 tell you in confidence. Dr. Miller, that re- 

 cently during a somev/hat extended tour of 

 their state, which has had such a serious 

 outbreak of this disease, I found that many 

 of the recognized authorities believe that 

 your bees must have had a very mild form 

 of the disease, and that, in many cases, your 

 treatment would not prove a success. 



QUEEN-CELLS WITH DEAD TENANTS. 



On the same page (45) is a discussion of 

 the value of a queen-cell with a dead tenant ; 

 and it appears that some think the bees 

 can be fooled into believing that the cell 

 contains a living rival. Well, what shall I 

 say? You can fool the beekeeper with that 

 kind of thing much more readily than the 

 bees. Who of any extensive experience has 

 not found queen-cells with dead tenants in 

 places where the bees would not have tol- 

 erated a living one? R. F. Holtermann. 



Brantford, Ont., Can. 



Bees Fly Fourteen Miles for Honey? 



Oh page 374, May Gleanings, answering 

 the third question of C. G., Illinois, Mr. E. 

 R. Root says, " Bees have been known to fly 

 even ten miles across a body X)f water for 

 nectar; but they will not go tliat far over 

 land." 



I have seen the question as to the distance 

 bees will fly in a search for honey broached 

 several times in recent issues of Gleanings. 

 I should consider the discussion of the great- 

 est distance academic rather than practical ; 

 but still it is a question of interest to bee- 

 keepers. It would be of practical value to 

 know how far bees could profitably fly for 

 honey. 



