336 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



June, 1920 



more important factor in the distribution 

 of American foul brood than neighborhood 

 robbing, but the iu'dicationg are that the 

 latter is principally serious within less than 

 a mile of infected colonies. 



Features of the Plan. 

 The Wisconsin plan of bee-disease control, 

 therefore, includes the following features: 



a. The area cleanup method of American 

 foul-Vjrood control by covering one coun- 

 tv at a time and rechecking it. This 



A source of foul brood was found in the walls of 



this Wisconsin silo. The owner failed to clean out 



the diseased swarm, and this place became a disease 



center. 



was begun in 1917 under the direction 

 of Dr. E. D. Ball, now of Iowa. 



b. The requirement of either a permit or 

 an inspection certificate for each pack- 

 age of bees and used bee-supplies when- 

 ever sold or moved either in the State 

 or into it from the outside. Our 1919 

 statute makes this regulation. 



c. Demonstration and educational work to 

 keep the symptoms of, and control meth- 

 ods for, both European and American 

 foul brood in the minds of as many of 

 our 10,000 beekeepers as possible. 



These measures are in charge of the State 

 Entomologist's office in the department of 

 agriculture at the State capitol, the first two 

 directly and the third in co-operation with 

 the extension service of the College of Agri- 

 culture. They are based on a new statute, 

 which includes several new features in ad- 

 dition to those usually included in inspec- 

 tion laws. 



Degree of Success Attained. 



"The proof of the pudding is in the eat- 



ing." What success has been obtained in 

 American foul-brood eradication? In an- 

 swering this question, while no apologies are 

 necessary, a failure of the Wisconsin honey 

 flow in 1918 must be understood, resulting in 

 the impracticability of effective treatment 

 (except by destruction) that season. No 

 rechecking was done that year. 



In Manitowoc County the per cent of dis- 

 eased apiaries (A. F. B. only) in 1917 was 

 found to be 31 per cent. In 1918 this had 

 been reduced to 11 per cent; while in 1919 

 only two apiaries containing two diseased 

 colonies were discovered. 



In the, southern two-thirds of Jefferson 

 County American foul-brood infection was 

 reduced from 40 per cent in 1918 to 23 per 

 cent in June, 1919, all of which has now 

 been treated or destroyed. 



In Dane County surveys were made in 

 1917 and 1918, but no attempt to treat was 

 made and the infection increased. In 1919, 

 36 per cent of the apiaries examined were 

 found infected, and with the exception of 

 two or three colonies treatment was applied 

 thruout. 



In Eichland County the work has so far 

 been confined to the southern tier of town- 

 ships. Here American foul brood has been 

 wiped out, except in the northwest corner 

 of the inspected area. 



In Forest, Langlade, and Shawano coun- 

 ties the condition was not so serious, but 

 disease areas were discovered near Soperton, 

 Antigo, Bonduel, Cecil, Belle Plaine, Birnam- 

 wood, and Clintonville. At the last inspec- 

 tion of 1919 no disease was found in these 

 locations, except in three or four colonies 

 located near Bonduel and Belle Plaine. 



During 1919 Milwaukee and Winnebago 

 counties were surveyed, the former com- 

 pletely, the latter partially. Every diseas- 

 ed colony in the former county was treated 

 or destroyed. The work in the latter has 

 not been completed. 



It should be understood that our southern 

 Wisconsin honey flow is so short that one 

 (an not determine the effect of a clean-up 

 campaign the same season. Eechecking is 

 carried on in these counties entirely to see 

 that treatment has been applied. The in- 

 spectors then visit the same apiaries the 

 following season, looking for a reappearance 

 of the disease. The results of the 1919 cam- 

 paign, therefore, can not be determined as 

 yet. 



We have recently made a study of the in- 

 spection records to learn (a) the results of 

 owners ' treatment or destruction of infect- 

 ed colonies; (b) the results of owners' neg- 

 lect to act; (c) the appearance of the dis- 

 ease during a campaign in apiaries found 

 healthy at the first inspection. 



The results in Jefferson County are typi- 

 cal, American foul brood only being consid- 

 ered. During the 1918 campaign, 35 owners 

 applied treatment or destruction to their 

 108 infected colonies. The 1919 inspection 

 showed that 20 owners had completely freed 

 their apiaries of disease, and that the total 



