THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



165 



The author is certain, and gives proof, that 

 the disease may be communicated by the 

 contaminated honey, combs and pollen, says 

 that the use of any drugs in the treatment 

 of the disease is a waste of time and mate 

 rial, and that " any method which has not 

 for its object the entire removal of all in- 

 fectious material beyond the reach of both 

 bees and brood will prove detrimental and 

 destructive, and be sure to encourage the re- 

 currence of the disease." 



The Dr. agrees with Mr. McEvoy that 

 hives do not need disinfecting. If the hive 

 were clean and free from bits of comb or 

 propolis, or daubs of infected honey, I might 

 see why it would not need disinfecting, and 

 the plan of leaving the bees to build comb 

 four days, and then cutting it out, a la Mc- 

 Evoy, would give the bees an apportunity to 

 clean up all bits of honey. The Dr. endor- 

 ses the McEvoy treatment, and in so doing 

 speaks of it as being at flr§t unpopular. I 

 do not remember that his method of treat- 

 ment has been criticised, except that many 

 think that the cutting out of the first four 

 day's work is time wasted, but there have 

 been some very strong arguments brought 

 against Mr. McEvoy's theory that the dis- 

 ease originated in dead and putrefying 

 brood, and none have brought any stronger 

 than has the author. Dr. Howard. 



BEMOVING HIVE 0OVEK8. 



Those using flat hive-covers placed bee- 

 space above the frames and resting upon 

 the upper edge of the hive, know how such 

 covers are stuck fast with propolis, and how, 

 unless honey boards are used, brace combs 

 are built against the covers. Mr. J. N. Pat- 

 terson, of England, Pa., has written and told 

 me how he renioves these covers. It is ex- 

 actly the way in which I remove them ; in 

 fact, it is one of those little things that I have 

 known so well and so long that I supposed 

 everybody else knew of it, but, perhaps they 

 do not. Here it is : kneel at one side of the 

 hive, place one knee against the side of the 

 hive, grasp the opposite edge of the cover 

 with both hands and gradually but steadily 

 pull it towards you an inch or two, enough 

 to loosen the propolis and break the brace 

 combs. When the pressure is first applied it 

 may seem that the cover cannot be moved in 

 this manner, especially if the weather is a 

 little cool, but if it is amtimied the cover 

 will finally move. If the weather is too cool 

 and the cover very firmly glued down, it will 



then be necessary to first slightly loosen the 

 cover around the edges with a screw driver 

 or knife, when the brace combs may be bro- 

 ken in the manner described. Unless the 

 frames are very firmly attached to the hive 

 at the ends of their top bars, the raising up 

 of the cover often brings with it one or more 

 of the combs. This breaking of the brace 

 combs before the cover is raised does away 

 with this trouble. Unless the combs are very 

 firmly fixed in the hive, it is better to break 

 the brace combs by forcing the cover end- 

 wise of the frames, otherwise one or more 

 combs may be forced against the sides of 

 adjoining combs. 



ABSCONDING SWAKMS. 



A subscriber asks me to say what he can 

 do to prevent swarms from absconding. I 

 think that swarms abscond because there is 

 something about the hive that is unpleasant 

 to the bees. The hive may be old, dirty and 

 ill-smelling. In such a case it should be 

 thoroughly washed and aired. Putting old, 

 mouldy and dirty combs in a hive may have 

 the same effect. If such combs must be 

 used, better give them, one at a time, to some 

 established colony to be cleaned up. A new- 

 ly hived swarm should be shaded, as the bees 

 are under great excitement, and filled with 

 honey, and they cannot bear the heat that at 

 ordinary times might not be oppressive. A 

 small hive or contracted brood nest also 

 causes swarming-out. 



I remember one season in particular in 

 which I had a great deal of trouble from 

 swarms swarming-out and trying to leave 

 for the woods. Almost invariably, a swarm 

 clusters soon after leaving the parent col- 

 ony, but, after Vjeing hived, if it leaves, it al- 

 most invaribly leaves without clustering. In 

 this season that I speak of it was no uncom- 

 mon thing to re-hive a swarm twice before 

 it would stay, and in a few instances a swarm 

 was re-hived as many as four times. The 

 queens' wings were not clipped, and you 

 may be sure that my brother and I learned 

 the full value of the Whitman fountain 

 pump for controlling swarms that are on 

 roving bent. With one to bring the water, 

 and one to use the pump, a swarm of bees 

 cannot, or does not, get away if seen when 

 it first comes out, but if allowed to get a 

 start, get away from the base of supplies 

 (water) , the chances of success for the bee- 

 keeper are very slight. At this stage of the 

 game the bees have a very tantalizing habit 



