■ r- \.^i 



20 



SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



in 1901, exported 4,795,600 pounds of 

 honey, and 1,022,897 pounds of bees- 

 wax. 



Cuba at present has laws to suppress 

 foul brood, and her inspector is doing 

 all possible to stamp the same from 

 the island. 



Even in Wisconsin I know of several 

 quite large piles of empty hives, where 

 also many other apiaries where said dis- 

 ease had gotten a strong foothold. By 

 the kindness of the Wisconsin bee-keep- 

 ers, and in most cases, by their willing 

 assistance, I have, during the last five 

 years, gotten several counties free of xhe 

 disease, and at the present writing, 

 March 12, 1902, have what there is in 

 Wisconsin under control and quaran- 

 tined. This dreadful disease is often 

 imported into our State from other 

 States and countries, so that we may 

 expect some new cases to develop, un- 

 til all the States shall enact such laws 

 as will prevent further spread of the 

 same. Arizona, New York (1899), 

 California (1891), Nebraska (1895), 

 Utah (1892), Colorado (1897), have 

 county inspectors, and Wisconsin (1897) 

 and Michigan (1901), have State inspec- 

 tors. The present Wisconsin law, af- 

 ter five years of testing and rapid de- 

 crease of the disease is considered the 

 best, and many other States are now 

 making efforts to secure a like law. 



There are several experimental apia- 

 ries in Canada under control of the On- 

 tario Agricultural College, also a few 

 in the United States, especially in Colo- 

 rado, that have done great work for 

 the bee-keeping industry, and their vari- 

 ous published bulletins on the same are 

 very valuable. The Wisconsin State 

 Bee-Keepers' Association has asked 

 that an experimental apiary might be 

 had on the Wisconsin experimental 

 farm, but at present there are so many 

 departments asking for aid, that I fear 

 it may be some time before bee-culture 

 will be taken up. 



Causes of Foul Brood. 



I. Many writers claim foul brood 

 originates from chilled or dead brood. 

 Dr. Howard, of Texas, one of the best 

 practical modern scientific experiment- 

 ers, a man of authority, has proved be- 

 yond doubt that chilled or common dead 

 brood does not produce foul brood. I 

 have, in the last five years, also proven 

 his statements to be true in Wisconsin, 

 but I do believe such conditions of dead 



brood are the most favorable places for 

 lodgment and rapid growth of diseases. 

 Also, I do not believe foul brood germs 

 are floating in the air, for, if they were, 

 why would not every brood-comb cell 

 of an infected hive become diseased? 

 I believe that this disease spreads only 

 as the adult bees come in contact with 

 it, which is often through robber-bees. 

 Brood-combs should not be removed 

 from any colony on cold or windy days, 

 nor should they be left for a moment 

 in the direct rays of sunshine on hot 

 days. 



2. The foul brood may be caused by 

 the need of proper food and tempera- 

 ture. Generally this disease does not 

 appear to be serious during a honey- 

 flow, but at the close of the honey sea- 

 son, or at times of scarcity, it is quite 

 serious, and as the bees at such times 

 will rob anywhere they can find stores, 

 whether from healthy or diseased combs, 

 it is the duty of every bee-keeper to 

 keep everything carefully protected. 

 Hive-entrances contracted, no old combs 

 or any article with a drop of honey in 

 where the bees can get to it. While 

 honey is coming in from the various 

 flowers, quite a portion is used direct as 

 food for the larval bee, and with such 

 no disease would be fed to the bees. 

 Such fed bees, even in a diseased hive, 

 will hatch, as is often the case. I never 

 knew a case where a bee hatched from 

 a brood-cell that had ever had foul 

 brood in. H the germs of disease are 

 there in the dried scale attached to the 

 Jower side-walls, bees will store honey 

 therein, the queen will deposit eggs, or 

 the cell may be filled with pollen, or 

 bee-bread, as some call it. Said honey 

 or pollen, when it comes in contact with 

 those germs of disease, or the food given 

 the young bee, if in the proper tem- 

 perature, said germs of disease will grow 

 and develop rapidly. 



Causes of Contagion. 



I fully believe if the history of foul 

 brood in Wisconsin were known, nearly 

 every case could be traced to contagion 

 from diseased combs, honey, or from 

 some diseased queen-breeders' cages. 

 Here are some instances where I have 

 traced the history of contagion in Wis- 

 consin: 



I. Diseased apiaries, also single colo- 

 nies, sold either at auction or private 

 sale. Several law-suits have resulted 

 in the settlement of some of the cases. 



