30 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



eration I decided upon the following plan of 

 operation, as the l)est under all circumstan- 

 ces. 



In the spring, about the middle of May, 

 feed, as indicated above, each colony to be 

 treated ; then mana^'e the same as healthy 

 colonies until such time as the brood to be 

 reared from eggs just laid will be of little 

 use in the collection of the main honey crop 

 — say 80 days before the probable close of 

 the flow from bassvvood; then cage the queen 

 in the hive for three weeks, and, at the end 

 of that time, mov^ back the hive, place a 

 clean hive furnished with foundation on the 

 old stand, run all the bees and the released 

 queen into it, remove the old combs and 

 hive to a safe place, and the work is done. 

 Of course, colonies may be treated in the 

 same manner during any sufficient honey- 

 flow. 



This will serve to disclose the general 

 principles, but to every ingenious apiarist 

 who has several colonies to be treated, mod- 

 ifications of the plan will be suggested, 

 which may be advantageously adopted un- 

 der certain circumstances. 



After the close of the honey season, all 

 curative operations must be supended, and 

 any remaining diseased colonies are to be 

 marked for treatment the ensuing season. 

 It is to be observed, however, that all colo- 

 nies so badly affected as to be materially 

 weakened in numbers, should not be expect- 

 < d to winter successfully, and should be ei- 

 ther united or destroyed. 



Now, at the risk of wearying, let me say a 

 few additional words as to the character of 

 the disease and the indications by which it 

 may be best discovered ; and let it be under- 

 stood that I state only conclusions from my 

 own experience and observation of the dis- 

 ease, as it has appeared in my own apiary. 

 Of course, it is only an unmitigated evil, but 

 if you should discover it among your bees, 

 do not allow yourself to become disconcert- 

 ed. It is not so black as painted. It takes 

 time for it to destroy a colony, and I doubt 

 if it would ever destroy a considerable api- 

 ary in the absence of gross neglect in guard- 

 ing against its dissemin;itiou. I have proba- 

 bly had 100 colonies affected, almost all of 

 them becoming so through what was, under 

 the circumstances, gross neglect, but I never 

 saw any indications that a healthy colony 

 standing next to a diseased one, was any 

 more likely to contract the disease than if it 

 were standing rods away. 



What is to be specially guarded against, is 

 allowing healthy colonies to have combs or 

 honey from those that are diseased. If a 

 colony is allowed to struggle with the dis- 

 ease until it becomes weak, or dies, robbing 

 will probably follow, and the contamination 

 be carried to healthy hives ; but if one is ac- 

 quainted with the early symptoms, all that 

 is easily avoidable. 



The difficulty heretofore has been .that the 

 descriptions of it, which have been made 

 most prominent, are of it as it appears in 

 badly diseased colonies. If one waits until 

 one can smell it in the apiary outside of the 

 hives, there will tleii l)e abundant cause for 

 alarm. Like some diseases which at times 

 afflict mankind, it seems to arise, be- 



come malignant for a time, then lose its 

 vigor, and at last die out. The character of 

 the lirst indications seems to depend upon 

 the disease in this respect, as well as upon 

 the extent of the inoculation. 



During the less malignant stages, and per- 

 haps on slight inoculation at any stage, the 

 first brood diseased reaches the imago state, 

 and does not decompose, and the first that 

 softens entirely does not have the homogen- 

 eous, viscid character that brood affected 

 later acquires. Then appear the somewhat 

 sunken, slightly darkened cappings over the 

 brownish, viscid mass within, which dries 

 and flattens down to a thick scale on the 

 lower side of the cell. Then, after the dis- 

 eased cells become plentiful, on holding the 

 comb close to the nose, a slight but disagree- 

 able odor, like that of warm glue of a poor 

 quality, is perceived. 



Generally, but not always, some of the dis- 

 eased cells are perforated. If a colony con- 

 tracts the disease from the plentiful feeding 

 of honey containing foul brood germs, 

 most of the diseased brood may not be cap- 

 ped at all. In a diseased colony that has 

 passed the winter, the malady does not gen- 

 erally reappear in the spring for a month or 

 more after brood rearing begins, but is sure 

 to appear at last : and, as a rule, progresses 

 more rapidly than during the previous sea- 

 son. 



This much for the indications within the 

 hive : but the careful apiarist will also be at- 

 tentive to external conditions. Without 

 other signs, if foul brood is. abroad, a lack 

 of activity and general prosperity in a col- 

 ony should prompt to closer scrutiny : and, 

 if this cue is acted upon, and care exercised, 

 the disease need not be generally attended 

 with very disastrous results. 



I have already stated that often the brood 

 first attacked reaches the imago state, and 

 becomes so mature as to preserve its shape 

 and consistency. I think that there can be 

 no mistake about this, for, in several instan- 

 ces, I have prognosticated the disease when 

 no other phase of it was present. The other 

 phases followed in time. 



Mature bees also die of the plague, and 

 are carried out, so that, often, at certain 

 stages, there is an undue accumulation of the 

 dead in front of the hives of diseased colo- 

 nies. Often, too, mature bees, weakened 

 and unable to ffy, are yet able to desert their 

 hives in consideralile numbers, and may be 

 seen hopping away upon the ground. 



If all of the foregoing indications are 

 looked for, and prompt action taken where 

 any of them appear, one may feel reasonably 

 safe without a frequent general examina- 

 tion of the brood chambers of the apiary, 

 exi)ressly to search for signs of the disease. 



In conclusion, whether the disease will die 

 out itself, I do not certainly know, but I 

 know tluit it seems to loose its vigor. I have 

 treated none the i)ast season, but have three 

 affected colonies on hand, wliich I am keep- 

 ing for study. Two of them certainly, and 

 all, probably, have had the disease for more 

 than a year. In two of them the disease has 

 made no apparent pi-ogress the past year ; 

 in the other, the i)rosperity of the colony has 

 been somewhat affected. 



