1919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



233 



but the previous workings of the 

 above-named authors had prepared 

 the way, and so I was able to culti- 

 vate on choice grounds for every one 

 of them the various bacterias in 

 question, including the bacillus lar- 

 vae, the cultivation of which had re- 

 mained practically impossible hereto- 

 fore. It was then necessary to sta- 

 bilize these cultures. This has been 

 carried through, too, and already for 

 months I have been able to bring out 

 a polyvalent virus that is satisfactory 

 in every way. The virus, enclosed in 

 a glass ampulla, should be mixed 

 with a kilogramme of honey or of 

 sugar syrup, and this should be given 

 as food to the polluted beehive. The 

 contaminated larvae are lost anyway, 

 but the infection ceases, the new 

 larvae being fed on this mixture do 

 not catch the disease, the laying of 

 the queen does not stop, the active 

 life of the swarm is carried on and, 

 as the population keeps on a suffi- 

 cient level, the plundering of the 

 hive is avoided. After a fairly long 

 time, generally over one month, the 

 effects of the illness have disap- 

 peared." 



Mr. Prudhomme's experiences are 

 to be considered as quite conclusive. 

 But, according to the author's wish, 

 these experiments should be repeated 

 as often as possible, not only in the 

 several regions of France where foul- 

 brood has spread itself, but also in 

 foreign countries. 



Mr. Prudhomme is at the disposal 

 of all apiarists to forward them, free 

 of cost, the virus he has brought out, 

 the making of which he keeps a se- 

 cret. All necessary information will 

 be given. In return, apiarists are re- 

 quested to kindly report their obser- 

 vations and the results ascertained. 



By repeating such tests, by renew- 

 ing them in the most varied situa- 

 tions and circumstances, we may 

 hope, with the help of all interested, 

 to succeed in wiping out the dreadful 

 plague that threatens to annihilate 

 forever a most important source of 

 our national riches. 



Virus can be obtained from Mr. 

 Prudhomme, Chimiste Biologiste, 1 

 Rue Cotta, Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), 

 France. 



(This is very interesting. But in 

 the case of what is called in this 

 country "American foulbrood" or 

 "bacillus larvae," it is out of the ques- 

 tion to bring about a permanent cure 

 without doing away with the con- 

 taminated combs, for the reason that 

 the dead larvae are fastened to the 

 lower cell-wall of the cells in such 

 fashion that the bees can rarely re- 

 move them. As to the other disease, 

 which Dr. White calls "bacillus plu- 

 ton," and which we have reasons to 

 believe is the same as that described 

 by Cheshire under the name of "ba- 

 cillus alvei," the case is different, for 

 the bees easily remove the dead 

 brood. 



The reappearance of bacillus plu- 

 ton in an apiary, after the disease 

 has been considered cured, might be 

 prevented by a trial of the method 

 above given by our learned friend. 

 Lieutenant Caillas, provided the virus 

 be not too expensive. In this coun- 

 try, profitable beekeeping is carried 



on in large apiaries, and any method, 

 to be successful, must admit of the 

 treatment of all the colonies in an 

 apiary. That is why so few of our 

 experienced apiarists are willing to 

 depend upon any drug system. But 

 it is well proven that the bees need 

 never be killed to do away with the 

 disease ; neither is it necessary to 

 burn anything but the combs actually 

 containing the dead brood, and that 

 only in the case of "bacillus larvae." 



We are just beginning to learn how 

 to treat the different bee diseases, 

 and it behooves us to listen to all 

 suggestions and to give trial to all the 

 plausible methods.) — Editor. 



Smoke Introduction 



By Major Shallard 



I AM always at a loss to account 

 for anyone failing in queen in- 

 troduction by the smoke method. 

 I first used this over a quarter 

 of a century ago. I have used 

 no other since, never having any 

 need to. I was rather amused at its 

 discovery (?) a few years ago by 

 Mr. Arthur Miller. Every now and 

 again someone reports a failure by 

 the method, and that is 'what puzzles 

 me. Then rather elaborate instruc- 

 tions are given on the subject. The 

 queen must be run in under certain 

 conditions and so many puffs of 

 smoke must be given, etc. One of 

 the editorials of a bee journal said 

 that to insure success it was impera- 

 tive that the hive be free from cracks 

 and tight enough to hold the smoke. 

 I find none of these precautions 

 necessary. I just flop the queen in 

 any old way and apply the smoke, 

 and introduction has become such a 

 simple matter with me that I feel 

 that I could drop a queen into a hive 

 and throw my hat at it (at the hive, 

 not the queen) and it would be safe 

 (the queen, not the hive). 



I do not make any claim to have 

 any special skill in queen introduc- 

 tion. Rather do I contend that no 

 skill is needed. The whole matter is 

 summed up in the word "demoraliza- 

 tion." 



The bees "dunno where they are" 

 and in that condition anything can 

 be done with bees, or anything else. 

 You get an unbroken colt out of the 

 bush; put a halter on him, as soon 

 as he is quiet enough to let you; tie 

 his head to his tail and then frighten 

 him, and he will turn round and 

 round like a top until he gets giddy 

 and does not know what he is doing. 

 Get the harness on him quickly and 

 you can drive him like an old stager, 

 simply because he is demoralized. Do 

 not make the mistake of keeping him 

 in the harness too long or he will get 

 his senses back and kick the stuffing 

 out of the vehicle. It is just the 

 same with the bees. Get them be- 

 fuddled and they do not know one 

 queen from another, and, in fact, are 

 not sure whether they previously 

 had another queen at all. On one oc- 

 casion I was introducing a queen into 

 a very leaky three-story hive and I 

 heard a strong hum over my head. I 

 found the bees were pouring out of 

 the top story and lighting upon a 

 bough. They were dark scallawag 



bees, and while I was looking I saw 

 the new queen settle among them. 

 She, being bright yellow, was very 

 conspicuous. I put them back and as 

 the genial Dr. Miller would say, "they 

 lived happy ever after." Some claim 

 that the method will not act with 

 two-story hives and three-story ones 

 are impossible. This is all tommy 

 nonsense. It will act with any hives 

 of any size, any make and almost 

 any leakiness. It is simply a matter 

 of giving enough smoke. A big hive 

 obviously needs more smoke than a 

 small one and a leaky one more still. 

 My method is simplicity itself, I 

 kill the old queen. Have a piece of 

 flat wood large enough to close the 

 entrance. I put the hive together 

 and just before pulling the cover on 

 I drop the new queen down between 

 the combs at the top. I then put 

 the top on, close the entrance with 

 the board, all but half an inch. I 

 puff cool smoke into the h've until 

 the bees roar, and they fight to get 

 out at the entrance. After they are 

 thoroughly upset from top to bottom 

 of the hive I cease smoking and close 

 the entrance altogether. After three 

 to five minutes I open the entrance 

 slightly, and if they rush out I close 

 it and try again in another couple of 

 minutes, when they will have set- 

 tled down and very few, if any, will 

 rush out. Then open the entrance 

 lull and the trick is done. It is as 

 easy as falling off a log, as sure as 

 death. 

 Australia. 



"Honey Yellow" 



By Allen Latham 



IF one hundred people, acquainted 

 with honey but otherwise chosen 

 hap-hazard, were asked, "What is 

 the natural color of honey?" what 

 would be the composite answer? 

 This question is raised for a two-fold 

 reason ; first, because better sales of 

 honey would result on account of 

 greater confidence of the buying 

 public were there greater uniformity 

 in the color of bottled honeys. If the 

 darker honeys were diverted to other 

 uses than bottling and if the color- 

 less honeys were blended with the 

 ambers for the bottling trade, the re- 

 sult, I believe, would be greatly bene- 

 ficial to the honey trade. In fact, 

 some of us producers are already do- 

 ing that very thing, and, in the East 

 at least, blended honeys will put 

 other kinds out of the market. 



The second reason is, perhaps, of 

 less importance, but has importance 

 from an educational standpoint. This 

 second of the two reasons that have 

 led me to raise the question under 

 discussion is the injustice so often 

 done in judging honey exhibits at 

 fairs and food exhibitions. It has 

 come under the observation of the 

 writer that few judges can get away 

 from the notion that the less color a 

 honey has, the better the honey. Too 

 many times have I seen first premium 

 awarded to a honey almost without 

 color, while other honeys in the con- 

 test, possessing some color, surpassed 

 the prize honey in body and clarity. 



Should honey be free from color? 

 Last fall the writer acted as judge 



