1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



:79 



the 'disease; but when I state that Italians 

 and Carniolans are troubled less than black 

 bees I desire it to be understood that they 

 readily dispose of the plague ; and when 

 queens are introduced into apiaries of blacks 

 where foul brood is prevalent, they will soon 

 show a clean bill of health. 



By a strange oversight my seventh propo- 

 sition was omitted from the 1904 edition of 

 " A Modern Bee-farm." It will be found in 

 Bee Chat for November, 1899, page 50, as 

 follows: 



"Native bees are decidedly more subject 

 to the disease of foul brood than either Car- 

 nijlans or Italians; but the latter more read- 

 ily respond to treatment when affected, and 

 will quite frequently dispose of the malady 

 without aid from the owner." 



"Right here I place my hand upon the 

 wavering balance of opinion as to the effect 

 of various medicinal agents applied in com- 

 bating the disease, as well as regarding the 

 undoubted fact that colonies will at times 

 recover, not only without such agents, but 

 most certainly by treatment which aims at 

 exterminating the complaint by causing the 

 spores to germinate under conditions where 

 they can not be reproduced. . . . The 

 whole matter turns largely upon racial vi- 

 tality and energy. . . . The different 

 races of bees under treatment by persons 

 making exactly opposite statements will be 

 found to account largely for the apparent 

 contradictions. 



"On one occasion I bought a number of 

 stocks from (I then found) an infected 

 source. Half were native, the rest Italian. 

 The former were diseased, but none of the 

 Italians. 



" In another instance I bought eight skeps 

 of black bees. At the time, and even for 

 several weeks after transferring, these bees 

 appeared healthy. Presently one after the 

 other showed signs of disease; and, though I 

 gave medicated food, there was no disposing 

 of the scattered foul cells until the queens 

 were superseded by Carniolans and Italians. 

 During the whole time these were the only 

 stocks diseased in an apiary of foreign bees 

 many times their number. 



"At a bee-keepers' convention held in 

 Melbourne, black bees were condemned as 

 being subject to disease. I quote from the 

 Australian Bee Bulletin: 



'Mr. W. Symes said his earlier experience had been 

 with black bees ; but he found them subject to foul 

 brood so much that he almost despaired of getting rid 

 of it ; but since he has introduced Italian bees the dis- 

 ease has gradually disappeared, and now has ceased to 

 trouble him.' 



" Mr. Bennett bore evidence to the supe- 

 rior qualities of the yellow bees in resisting 

 disease, giving the result of some experi- 

 ences in endeavoring to inoculate Italian 

 bees by feeding them with honey taken from 

 foul-brood colonies. 



"It was agreed on all hands that the 

 points of excellence in the matter of resist- 

 ing disease were with the yellow race of 

 bees, giving them, therefore, a superior 

 place." 



It would, of course, be idle to say that 



these more prolific races do not and can not 

 have the disease. Carniolans certainly come 

 from a district where foul brood is unknown; 

 not so Italians, for it is well known many 

 Italian apiaries have suffered severely. This 

 rnay be from degeneration where any par- 

 ticular strain is reared from the same stock 

 year after year; but where Italians are pro- 

 cured from different sources, and recrossed 

 with unrelated strains of the same race, 

 there can be no doubt that this added vigor, 

 together with their prolific qualities, assists 

 them in repelling the plague. 



Again, if one deliberately infects a colony 

 of bees, nothing can prevent them from 

 having the disease, no matter what the 

 race; but here is the gist of the whole mat- 

 ter—the blacks do not attempt to subdue it: 

 the others do— so much so that for a long 

 time the inexperienced eye would detect 

 nothing the matter with the combs; while a 

 favorable season, or a little judicious assist- 

 ance, would enable them to eradicate it en- 

 tirely. 



When bees are under the influence of a 

 rousing activity, as is the case with a heavy 

 honey-flow, disease makes no headway, and 

 is frequently cured without further aid; and 

 consequently, v hen treatment is to be car- 

 ried out for curing at other times, the medi- 

 cated food should be given rapidly, and the 

 combs fed up solid when the honey season is 

 over. This will be found the grand cure, 

 raising as it does that energy and new vi- 

 tality so necessary in throwing off disease. 

 Here I have found izal the simplest and saf- 

 est remedy, being non-poisonous, and even 

 liked by the bees. It has been most effec- 

 tual in ridding many apiaries of foul brood 

 where my instructions have been followed. 



Heathfield, Sussex, Eng., Jan. 7. 



[Mr. Simmins is the author of "A Modern 

 Bee- farm," an English work of no ordinary 

 merit. I have been trying to find time to 

 give it a review in these columns, and hope 

 to present it soon. The facts presented by 

 Mr. Simmins, who has made foul brood a 

 study, are interesting as well as significant. 

 The other evidence already given, and yet 

 to be presented, showing how the Italians 

 are better able to resist foul brood and other 

 diseases, scores one big point in favor of 

 the yellow race. It is probable that the 

 author of bee books have not made enough 

 of this point. —Ed.] 



THE HERSHISER COMBINED HIVE-STAND 

 AND BOTTOM-BOARD. 



Some Misconceptions Corrected. 



BY OREL L. HERSHISER. 



Mr. i?oot. — Feeling certain that you wrote 

 the footnote in reference to the Hershiser 

 combined hive-stand and bottom-board, page 

 77, without a clear conception of its con- 

 struction and adjustments, I arise to explain 

 away your erroneous conclusions. 



The trifling addition5>l expf'ns'^ will he of 



