Publish t Weekly at 118 Michigan St. 



George W. York, Editor. 



$1.00 a Year— Sample Copy Free. 



38th Year. 



CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 24, 1898. 



No. 47. 



Dried- Up Foul Brood — Cocaine for Bee-Stiags. 



BY PROF. .7. A. COOK. 



I have a letter from a Los Angeles county bee-keeper, 

 accompaoied by a specimen of foul brood which has dried 

 down in the corner of the cell. He asks if it is foul brood, 

 and wishes to know how one can tell if the disease is present 

 at such times, and if it can be positively told. 



I should like Mr. Taylor to reply to this question. In this 

 case it is not dilHcult at all to surely diagnose foul brood. The 

 odor of the disease is unmistakable. The comb was in a close 

 tin box, and, so, very favorable for such determination. As 

 all know who have had any experience with this malady, the 

 odor is very pronounced, "ery penetrating and unmistakable. 

 When my children were small, I used to get many samples of 

 diseased brood. The children would frequently bring me the 

 mail, with the box containing the diseased brood still wrapt in 

 paper, with the remark, "You have more foul brood." I 

 found that a sample with very considerable amount of the 

 brood — a score of cells, more or less — would very frequently 

 be revealed before any of the wrappings were removed. 



In the case of this sample before me, there are other signs. 

 Cells with sunken caps, and with some of the caps perforated, 

 would surely arouse suspicion. In Southern California, the 

 bees can get some honey nearly, if not quite, every month of 

 the year, and so brood-rearing has not that long quietus that 

 Is known in the East. Sol think this question has not the 

 practical importance that might be given it. In the East the 

 bee-keeper is behind the times whose information and alert- 

 ness does not enable him to know and detect this disease, 

 while the bees are active. In case of buying bees in the fall, 

 there might be occasion to make such examination. 



The scale of dried matter is hardly sufficient for determi- 

 nation, at least by other than the expert. Of course, the 

 bacteriologist could always make cultures and ascertain the 

 presence or absence of the fungoid matter, but this would not 

 be of use practically. I, for one, would be glad to hear from 

 Mr. Taylor 'on this subject, as also on the matter of hives. The 

 " Inspector " of Ontario says it is safe to use hives from which 

 diseased colonies have been removed, at ouce, if I understand 

 his position, without subjecting them to a boiling tempera- 

 ture. His long experience should make him an authority. If 

 boiling the hives is needless, it would save much trouble. 

 From the nature of the disease, we would fear to trust such a 

 hive until it had been thoroughly disinfected. I am sure If 

 Mr. Taylor will give his views in these matters, he will confer 

 a favor. 



I think foul brood is quicker to lose its grip in California, 

 and sometimes at least is not so virulent as In' the East. I 

 know of more than one apiary where there were colonies 

 badly affected, where no pains were taken to eradicate the 

 disease, and yet it has entirely disappeared. This, however, 

 should not quiet the apprehensions of any menaced bee- 

 keeper, for I have know other cases where apiaries went all 



to pieces the second year after the disease made its appear- 

 ance. 



BEE STINGS AND COCAINE. 



In a recent number of "Nature," cocaine is given as a 

 speedy remedy from the pain of bee-stings. It is stated that 

 simplv applying it will immediately relieve suffering. In suc- 

 ceeding numbers of the same journal it is urged that care 

 should be exercised in the use of this drug. That the warn- 

 ing is timely, appears from the fact that in many cases its use 

 is attended with quite serious consequences. I think all rep- 

 utable physicians agree that we cannot be too cautious in 

 the use of any of the narcotics, like cocaine, morphine, etc. 

 In rare, exceptional cases they come as very angels of mercy; 

 but one is very unfortunate who is called to use them with 

 frequency. Los Angeles Co., Calif., Oct. 31. 



No. 3.— The Care of Bees for Wiuterlue. 



BY C. P. DADANT. 



In my last, altho I called attention to the bad quality of 

 fruit-juice as winter food, I have perhaps not laid enough 

 stress upon it, for I consider, from actual experience, that the 



.1 



* 

 4 



Prof. A. J. Cook. 



results of a supply of this food are deadly to the bees ; the 

 more so as they store a great deal of this kind of food when 

 the real honey has failed. This fruit juice is not honey ; It Is 

 neither more nor less than cider, which becomes more or less 

 acid, and is positively sure to cause disease. The only way to 



