A. AND M. COLLEGE APIARY. 47 



ers in Texas whose stock we have found to be fully as represented and 

 to be commended for its purity: W. 0. Victor, Wharton; Hyde Beo 

 Co., Floresville; W. H. Laws, Beeville; G. F. Davidson & Sons, Flores- 

 ville. 



By consulting the advertisements in the various bee journals, the 

 beginner will find the addresses of queen breeders throughout the coun- 

 try, together with the races and strains of which they make a specialty. 

 Except in rare cases queen breeders are found reliable. The fact that 

 the continuance of their business depends entirely upon the purity of 

 the queens they ship, as well as that fortunately none of the bee journals 

 will knowingly accept an advertisement from a suspicious party, makes 

 it impossible for a fraudulent queen breeder to remain long before the 

 people. The fact that queen breeding Bunder present conditions is not 

 an immensely profitable occupation offers little inducement to the swind- 

 ler. 



ENEMIES. 



Foul Brood. Fortunately, in Texas, very little trouble has been had 

 with diseases of bees. Kecently, however, a number of very severe cases 

 of foul brood have made their appearance at different points. Foul 

 brood is characterized by the death of the larvae before reaching matur- 

 ity, and their decay within the cells. Shortly after death the larvae turn 

 dark-brown in color, and if a toothpick or other sharp-pointed object 

 be inserted into the body of a dead larva, twisted about, and slowly with- 

 drawn, the mass will be seen to assume a stringy or ropy nature. This 

 "ropiness" is a diagnostic character of the disease, as is also the foul 

 odor affecting a hive thus infected. The bees are evidently unwilling or 

 unable to remove the decayed remains of the larvae, and these after a 

 time become dry and present the appearance of small bits of a coffee- 

 colored substance in the bottoms of the cells. Upon the death and decay 

 of sealed larvae, the cappings become sunken and frequently perforated 

 with one or more openings in each cap. This appearance, while charac- 

 teristic, is not a certain indication of the disease. The test of ^ropi- 

 ness" should be relied upon as the main evidence, with sunken caps, 

 perforated caps, and the foud odor as secondary and confirmatory charac- 

 ters. 



Foul brood was first carefully investigated by Watson-Cheyne and 

 Cheshire in London, England. They found the disease to be caused by 

 a specific germ to which they gave the name Bacillus alvei. These germs 

 obtain access to the larva? or food media by which they are surrounded 

 and there multiply with enormous rapidity. It appears evident that 

 they attack directly the tissues of the larvae, as in all diseased larvae, 

 dead and decayed larvae, and in the dried-up masses resulting, the Bacil- 

 lus alvei is found. In honey which has been stored by the bees in cells 

 containing the dried-up masses, the germs are found also, and perhaps 

 to a greater or lesser extent in all unsealed honey in the hive, as well as 

 any honey sealed after the disease enterd the colony. Upon the approach 

 of unfavorable conditions or lack of food supply, the germs assume the 

 spore or resting stage, in which they take no nutriment, do not increase 

 in numbers, and show a marked resistance to heat, extreme cold, and 

 chemicals and disinfectants of all kinds. 



