5.0 



THE AMERICAN 

 FORMALIN. 



BEE-KEEPER. 



Marcli 



A Method of Its Application Suggested Within a 

 Hive Occupied by the Bees. 



By J. E. Johnson. 



THE question of foul brood is cer- 

 tainly an important one to all 

 who keep bees; ami any infor- 

 mation upon the subject ought to be 

 welcomed by every up-to-date bee- 

 keeper. This matter of applying gas to 

 a colony of live bees to kill the germs 

 and spores of disease and not injure 

 the bees or hinder them from work 

 means much if it can be done suc- 

 cessfully. Without giving the matter 

 much serious thought, or without a 

 full understanding of germ life, or 

 the real cause of why or how germs 

 are killed by gas, it would seem impos- 

 sible, but I am very confident that it 

 is not only possible but practicable. 

 Let us then first see if we fully under- 

 stand what formalin or or formalde- 

 hyde is. 



Formaldehyde is a gas. This gas 

 can be mixed Avith water only to 

 an extent of 40 per cent. This solu- 

 tion is then called formalin or formal- 

 dehyde solution. A formaldehyde so- 

 lution may be of 10, 20 or 40 per cent, 

 strength but it is properly called for- 

 malin, only when 40 per cent, 

 strength. The gas may be driven 

 from this solution by heat or it may be 

 applied cold, and as the water evapor- 

 ates the gas is set free. 



There are only two gases that are 

 good gei-macides. The gas from burn- 

 ing sulphur will unite with the water 

 of the air to produce sulphurous acid, 

 hence it is a germacide. The gas foi'- 

 maldehyde is a germacide because 

 when in the air it combines with free 

 oxygen to produce formic acid. So in 

 either case it is the acid that kills 

 germs, not the gas at all. Many think 

 that Itecause sulphurous gas is deadly 

 to all animal life foi-maldehyde must 

 necessarily be the same: but such is 

 not the case. One god long whiff of 

 .sulphurous gas may kill any animal 

 because it fills the lungs and stays 

 there, thus cutting off all oxygen. The 

 longest man can live without the oxy- 

 gen of the air is five minutes, hence 

 death would result from want of oxy- 

 gen. But formaldehyde is of a dif- 



ferent nature. It can be inhaled along 

 with the air without serious injury, 

 that is to quite an extent. The injury 

 would be principally irritation from 

 the acid. In a medical college of 

 this state this matter was tested. 

 By way of experiment a dog was 

 placed in a room and formaldehyde 

 Avas applied quite strong for 24 

 hours. The dog was not injured ex- 

 cept nose, eyes, mouth and lungs were 

 much irritated but soon recovered so 

 as to eat a good meal. Now if we 

 should apidy a 40 per cent, solution of 

 formaldehyde on a piece of cotton and 

 place on the bottom board of a hiA'e 

 containing live bees, protected with 

 wire screen so that bees would not 

 come in direct contact with the 

 solution (it would burn them), this gas 

 would bo gradually set free and would 

 combine with the air in all parts of the 

 hive even through the l)rood, as brood 

 contains air Avhether live or dead. 

 Hence it would be effective. Now 

 spores are hard to kill when dr.v. but 

 in this case all spores would be in a 

 condition of rapid germination and 

 would be very much easier killed than 

 when combs alone were fumigated. 

 The spores are the seeds and 

 when in the right pabulum of 

 proper temperature and moisture, will 

 germinate, somewhat similar to 

 other seeds: and av h e n in this 

 stage of development they are easily 

 killed by any good bactericide, hence 

 the great advantage of this mode of 

 treatment, as bees Avould furnish the 

 necessary heat, moisture, etc. 



However, if a 40 per cent, solution 

 be thus applied the bees would suffer 

 and Avould probably -desert the hive 

 unless given lots of air aboA^e and be- 

 low brood chamber, but if a weaker 

 solution be applietl it would no doubt 

 be as effective and less offensive to the 

 bees. As an illustration, one ounce of 

 20 per cent, solution would contain as 

 mur-h gas. and would yield as muc5 

 acid as one-half oiince of 40 per cent, 

 solution, only it Avould be slower. Also 

 tAVO ounces of 10 per cent, solution 

 would equal the same. Anyone trying 

 this method should experiment in a 

 small Avay to ,see how strong a gas the 

 bees woidd put up with. Raise 

 cover a trifle to create a -draught. 

 Weather should be warm, and soultion 

 be applied frequently for some time so 



