GO 



free play at it. After being thoronglily cleaned, all liives containing coniljs 

 sliould lie removed to a darlv room nntil late in the antnmn. and then to a 

 bnilding where they will get the full benefit of frost during the winter. — Dr. 

 Fletcher. RiiKirt 1903. 



Aiiicricati FoiiJ Brooit. 



American foul brood (often called simply "foul brood") is distrilmted 

 through all parts of the I'nited States and from the symptoms published in 

 European journals and texts one is led to believe that it is also the prevalent 

 brood disease in Europe. Although it is found in almost all sections of the 

 Inited States, there are many localities entirely free from disease of any kind. 



The adult bees of an infected colony are usually I'ather inactive and do 

 little toward cleaning out infected m.-iterial. When the larvie are first affected 

 they turn to a light chocolate colour, and in the advanced stages of decay they 

 become darker, resembling roasted coffee in colour. Tsually the larv» are 

 attacked at about the time of capping, and most of the cells containing infected 

 larv;e are capped. As deca.v proceeds these ca]ipings liecome smiken and 

 perforated, and. as the healthy brood emerges, the comb shows the scattered 

 cells containing larv;e which have died of disea.se. still capped. The most 

 noticeable characteristic of this infection is the fact that when a small stick 

 is inserted in a larv:e which has died of the disease, and slowly removed, the 

 broken-down tissues adhere to it and will often stretch out for .several inches 

 before breaking. When the larva dries it forms a tightly adhering scale of 

 \'ery dark brown cdlour. which can best be observed when the comb is held 

 so that a bright liglit strikes the lower side wall. Decaying larv;e which 

 have died of this disease have a very characteristic odour which resembles a 

 Iioor quality of glue. This disease seldom attacks drone or queen larva:>. It 

 appears to be much more virulent in the Western part of the T'nited States 

 than in the Bast. 



'rrciitiiiriit of Infectious Disca.^cs. 



Drugs, either to be given directly in food or to be used for fumigating 

 combs, cannot be recounnended for either of these diseases. 



t'^liakiitu trrntmcnt. — To. cure a colony of either form of foul brood it is 

 necessary first to remove from flic hive all of the infected material. This 

 is done by shaking the bees into a clean* hive on clean frames with small 

 strips of comb foundation, -care being taken that infected houe.y does not drop 

 from the infected combs. The liealthy brood in the infected combs may be 

 saved, provided there is enough to make it profitable by piling up combs from 

 several infected hives on one of the weakest of the di.seased colonies.** After 

 .ii weekt or ten days all the brood which is worth saving will have hatched 

 out. at which time all these comlis should be removed and the colony treated. ft 

 In the case of box-hives or skeiis the liees maj- be drummed out into another 

 box or iireferably into a hive with movable frames. Box-hives are hard to 

 inspect for disease and are a menace to all other bees in the neighbourhood 

 in a region where disease is present. 



'Mr. E. F. Robinson rt-commends ntnv hivies and now frames, witli lialf-incli strips 

 of comb foundation. 



••Entrance should be closed to about half-inch. 



tAt'ter lif days. 



tfBees treated as before and united to a new colo.ny or given a laying queen, kill- 

 ing the poor one in the weali colony. 



