EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD 215 



a sufficient amount of stores to build them up ready for winter. 

 To winter a colony with the idea of treating in the spring will 

 require in the neighborhood of twenty-five pounds of honey, and 

 there is always the danger that they may die during the winter 

 or early spring. In this case there is not only the total loss of 

 the bees and the honey that they have consumed, but the added 

 danger that bees from other colonies may get at the stores and 

 rob them out on some warm day before the hives have been 

 looked after, and the disease be further spread. If the colony 

 is strong enough to have a fair chance of wintering it is possible 

 to save honey and wax to the value of from two to four dollars, 

 and this is more than a diseased colony is worth at this season of 

 the year. The hive may be saved and prepared for use again by 

 proper disinfection. 



Late in the evening after the bees have stopped flying, the 

 entrance should be tightly closed to prevent the escape of any 

 bees. The hive should then be removed to some tight building or 

 cellar and the bees killed with sulphvir. All honey fit for use 

 can be removed, but care should be taken that not a drop ever 

 gets back to live bees. The combs can be melted up and the 

 wax saved. Honey not fit for the table can be made into vinegar. 

 The hive, including both top and bottom, should be thoroughly 

 disinfected before using again, and if the frames are to be used 

 again they should be boiled. Any honey that is fed to bees 

 should be diluted with water and boiled for half an hour or until 

 the scum is thoroughly cooked. 



Disinfecting. — For disinfecting hive parts a painter's torch 

 is very good. Some paint the inside of the hives with kerosene 

 and then pile one above another and set fire to them and smother 

 the fire as soon as the interior is scorched. 



EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD 



The cause of European foul brood is supposed to be Bacillus 

 pluton, a microorganism similar to those responsible for such 

 diseases as diphtheria, typhoid fever, etc., in human beings. 



