AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



371 



failed on. The word "not" spoiled 

 what I was explaining, because those 

 that were not bad were the ones that it 

 made a complete cure of when they were 

 left to build new combs. 



Where the bees of an apiary of 25 or 

 80 colonies are in a horrid state with 

 foul brood, and the bees are put in 

 empty hives to build their own combs in 

 the time of a big honey-flow, it will end 

 in a failure in many of the colonies, be- 

 cause at such times the bees will build 

 combs very fast, and store some of the 

 diseased honey in them, that they took 

 from the old, foul combs when they were 

 removed. So, to make a complete cure 

 in all bee-yards, I order all combs re- 

 moved at once, and starters of comb 

 foundation given for four days, and at 

 the end of four days they are to be taken 

 out and full sheets of foundation given ; 

 ivhich never fails to cure when both the 

 starters and foundation were given to 

 each colony, and all treated at the same 

 time. 



Foul brood has been very bad in On- 

 tario, and I am still finding it in large 

 quantities in places where every one 

 thought his locality was clear. In a 

 small town where bee-conventions have 

 been held time and again, I found the 

 worst foul-broody bee-yards I ever saw. 

 I was astonished, after all that has been 

 published on this subject, to see that 

 any sensible men would for one moment 

 nurse a lot of rotten brood of any kind. 

 I blame the professional guessers for 

 the most of this state of things, because 

 they have led the people astray by say- 

 ing that colonies kept with rotten brood 

 won't sooner or later end in foul brood. 

 That sort of teaching has caused bee- 

 men everywhere to be very careless, and 

 when foul brood breaks out in their bee- 

 yards, it makes a rapid headway, and 

 ruins the whole apiary in a short time, 

 and all other bee-yards near it. 



Why don't the professors step to the 

 front and do one useful act, and advise 

 all bee-keepers to keep dead brood out 

 of their hives at all times ? Everywhere 

 that I have been in Ontario, I have ad- 

 vised the removal of all dead brood at 

 all times, and explained to the owners 

 that brood after brood rotting in the 

 same cells, and having to consume food 

 mixed with corrupt matter, takes life 

 and ends in foul brood. I have made a 

 big change in public opinion on this, 

 and have many of the best bee-keepers 

 in Ontario on my side on this very point. 

 I have also many letters from the United 

 States saying that I am in the right. 



I wish to thank the editor of the 

 American Bee Journal very much for 



publishing all my articles on foul brood, 

 as It saved me answering all the letters 

 I have received on this question. 

 Woodburn, Ont., Canada. 



How to Prepare tlie Bees for 

 Safe Wintering;. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 

 BY .T. H. ANDRE. 



From the reports of last season prob- 

 ably more bees perished during winter 

 than any season ever known before, and 

 right here I wish to say that more than 

 one-half of such losses were the result 

 of carelessness. If those few who have 

 sent the idea afloat that it is not so 

 much in wintering as it is in springing, 

 had advised against autumn careless- 

 ness, they would have hit nearer the 

 mark. 



During the past seven years I do not 

 recollect losing a single colony. The first 

 thing to do when preparing a colony is 

 to ascertain if there is plenty of honey — 

 not old, granulated honey, but that 

 gathered the present season. In order 

 to secure this, I strive to have all used 

 up in the brood-frames the spring be- 

 fore. This is done by spreading the 

 brood, interchanging frames from one 

 hive to another, etc. 



The brood-nest should be in the center 

 of the hive. If any colonies are lacking 

 in bees, I get them of my neighbors by 

 drumming them from the box-hives they 

 intended to brimstone, and right well 

 pleased they are to get the job done, 

 and avoid the brinstone odor in the 

 honey. One colony will build up from 

 two to three weak ones. This should be 

 done from the 1st to the 15th of October 

 in this vicinity. There is scarcely ever 

 any danger in uniting, if smoke is used. 



I never feel safe unless each colony 

 contains a peck of bees. One with four 

 quarts of bees may winter all right, but 

 will be so late in building up in the 

 spring that it will store but one-half the 

 surplus, in some localities. 



Use either a Hill's device over the 

 frames, or two strips of wood % of an 

 inch square, reaching nearly across 

 every frame, with a passage between the 

 strips. Spread a new piece of muslin 

 over the frames. Take a bottomless 

 box, 4 or 5 inches deep, tack on a mus- 

 lin bottom, leaving it loose enough to 

 sag down, and cover every part of the 

 frames, when the edges of the box rest 

 on the hive. 



Fill the box with the muslin bottom 



