ILLINOIS STATE BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATIOX 



87 



I contend that the disease lies in the 

 honey. I have seen it proved, by feed- 

 ing bad sections!. 



We know that during a good honey- 

 flow, especially in the fall of the year 

 when the brood-nest is becoming 

 smaller, and the bees have less brood 

 to take care of, that European foul 

 brood will disappear entirely. We know 

 also that those colonies, in the spring 

 of the year, will remain free from the 

 disease. 



Keep a good strain of bees, keep the 

 queens of proper age, and keep your 

 colonies in good condition where the 

 germs of European foul brood cannot 

 make any headway, and under those 

 conditions a man may not be afraid of 

 European foul brood. 



We must first have proper bees, and 

 the experience of the bee-keeping fra- 

 ternity has proven beyond doubt that 

 the Golden Italian, the Cypriafi and 

 the Carniolans are all good. Some 

 claim that the leather-colored stand 

 equal to some othersi; I have not found 

 that to be a fact, but my experience is 

 not extensive enough to pass an 

 opinion upon them. My experience is 

 that black brood is a transmitter of 

 European foul brood. 



Dr. Miller — What about hybrids? 



Mr. Cavanagh — They are not as good 

 as the pure stock with me. A man in 

 a localitj- where European foul brood 

 exists should re-queen yearly. He 

 should keep proper conditions all 

 through. He should have vigorous 

 queens; he should get young queens, 

 and if he suffers' from a dearth of 

 honey at certain times of the year he 

 should fill in that gap by feeding, and 

 I guarantee he will have nothing to 

 fear from foul brood. 



I have not had so much faith in the 

 Alexander treatment as I had a year 

 ago. I find that colonies, when they 

 are given a chance, with young Italian 

 queens, and have a honey-fiow to build 

 on, will clean them up and stay clean. 



This plan cures equally as well as 

 the Alexander treatment; that is 

 rather a dangerous thing to pass out 

 promiscuously, but it is a fact. 



If bee-keepers will keep their 

 colonies in proper condition so they 

 won't take foul brood in the early part 

 of the season, they won't have any 

 trouble with it. 



Mr. Wilcox — I don't know a thing 

 about foul brood of any kind. I would 



like to sum up this discussion: From 

 all that we read about foul brood, and 

 hear about it, I have reached this con- 

 clusion: That American foul brood, 

 at least, bears about the same relation 

 to bee-diseases that pulmonary tuber- 

 culosis does to the human race. It is 

 questionable whether it is contagious 

 or not. If it exists so commonly that 

 when the conditions are favorable for 

 its development it may be expected, 

 why, it is not really a dangerous thing. 

 It is impossible for bee-keepers to 

 keep their bees at all times in a good, 

 healthy condition, and strong. I do 

 not know, but I would not dispute it in 

 the least, but what it is this black 

 brood that breeds European foul brood; 

 but I doubt whether it is contagious. 



I am inclined to sum it up in that 

 way. That this European foul brood, 

 or black brood, as it was formerly 

 called, can be taken only when con- 

 ditions are favorable. That it is doubt- 

 ful whether it is contagious or infec- 

 tious. I doubt if there is very much 

 difference between the two diseases. I 

 believe from all I have heard here to- 

 day that it is not a serious disease. 



Mr. Whitney — I see Mr. Baldridge is 

 present, he knows considerable about 

 this foul brood business. I would like 

 to hear from him on how to cure 

 European foul brood. 



Mr. Baldridge — I have had no ex- 

 perience with European foul brood; I 

 don't know it when I see it. 



Dr. Miller — He is an American! 



Mr. Cavanagh — The point I want 

 to bring up is this: Mr. Wilcox says 

 he doesn't class European foul brood as 

 a dangerous disease. I do. I tell you, 

 where you get European foul brood in 

 j'our bees, and have it spread' to about 

 % of your colonies, you will begin to 

 feel pretty sick, if you are anything 

 like me. It is a mighty dangerous 

 disease. 



Mr. Wilcox — I don't say the bees 

 won't take it if they are in a weak 

 condition, I say conditions must be 

 favorable before foul brood developes. 



Mr. Cavanagh — As to the transmis- 

 sion of Eiu-opean foul brood, I think it 

 is transmitted in various ways. We 

 don't know exactly how. I am willing 

 to give a little personal experience as 

 to how I have seen it developed, and 

 how rapidly. 



I had an apiary of Italians — well, I 

 should think 1-3 were blacks and hy- 



