26 



SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



the evening of the fourth day take out 

 the new combs and give them comb- 

 foundation (full sheets) to work out, 

 and then the cure will be complete. By 

 this method of treatment all the diseased 

 honey is removed from the bees before 

 the full sheets of foundation are worked 

 out. All the old foul-brood combs must 

 be burned or carefully made into wax, 

 after they are removed from the hive^, 

 and -all the new combs made out of 

 the starters during the four days must 

 be burned or made into wax, on account 

 of the diseased honey that would be 

 stored in them. All the curing or treat- 

 ing of diseased colonies should be done 

 in the evening, so as not to have any 

 robbing done, or cause any of the bees 

 from the diseased colonies to mix and 

 go with the bees of healthy colonies. 

 By doing all the work in the evening 

 it gives the bees a chance to settle down 

 nicely before morning, and then there 

 is no confusion or trouble. This same 

 method of curing colonies of foul brood 

 can be carried on at any time from May 

 to October, when the bees are not get- 

 ting any honey, by feeding plenty of 

 sugar syrup in the evenings to take the 

 place of the honey-flow. It will start 

 the bees robbing and spread the disease 

 to work with foul brood colonies in 

 warm days when the bees are not gath- 

 ering honey, and for that reason all 

 work must be done in the evenings 

 when no bees are flying. 



"When the diseased colonies are weak 

 in bees, put the bees, two, three, or four 

 colonies together, so as to get a good- 

 sized colony to start the cure with as 

 it does not pay to spend time fussing 

 with little, weak colonies. When the 

 ■ bees are not gathering honey, any apiary 

 can be cured of foul brood by removing 

 the diseased combs in the evening and 

 giving the bees frames with comb- 

 foundation starters on. Then also in 

 the evening feed the bees plenty of su- 

 gar syrup and they will draw out the 

 foundation and store the diseased honey 

 which they took with them from the old 

 combs; on the fourth evening remove 

 the new combs made out of the starters 

 and give the bees full sheets of comb 

 foundation and feed plenty of sugar 

 syrup each evening until every colony 

 is in first-class order. Make the syrup 

 out of granulated sugar, putting one 

 pound of water to every pound of sugar, 

 and bring it to a boil. As previously 

 stated, all the old comb must be burned 

 or made into wax and so must all new 



combs made during the four days. No 

 colony is cured of foul brood by the use 

 of any drug." 



A. I. Root, of Medina, Ohio, says : 

 "The starvation plan in connection with 

 burning the combs and frames and boil- 

 ing the hives has worked the best in 

 treating foul brood. It never appeared 

 after such treatment, though it did in 

 some cases where hives were honey- 

 stained and not boiled, thus confirm- 

 ing the theory or fact of spores." 



All the difference from the McEvoy 

 treatment that I practice is this : I dig 

 a deep pit on level ground near the 

 diseased apiary, and after getting a fire 

 in the pit such diseased comDs, frames, 

 etc., as are to be burned are burned in 

 this pit in the evening, and then the 

 fresh earth from the pit returned to 

 cover all from sight. Often I use some 

 kerosene oil, a little at a time being 

 poured on old brood-combs or those hav- 

 ing much honey in, as they are hard 

 to burn. If diseased combs with honey 

 in are burned on the surface of the 

 soil there is great danger; the honey 

 when heated a little will run like water 

 on the soil, and in the morning the rob- 

 ber-bees will be busy taking home the 

 diseased honey that was not heated 

 enough to kill germs of foul brood. 



I also cage the queen while the bees . 

 are on the five or six strips of founda- 

 tion. It helps to keep the colony from 

 deserting the hive and going to other 

 colonies. 



R. L. Taylor, Michigan University ex- 

 perimental apiary, reports : "The plan 

 that the colony be shaken out into an- 

 other hive after being allowed to build 

 comb for four days, I have proven in 

 100 cases to be unnecessary." 



In Wisconsin, I, too, have cured sev- 

 eral cases by the one transferring, when 

 honey was not coming in very freely, 

 but it is better, and a great saving of 

 time to both bees and owner, to ex- 

 change in three or four days those 

 foundation starters, for full sheets of 

 foundation. - Diseased brood-combs, and 

 those with honey in, if melted in a sun 

 or solar extractor, the wax, honey or 

 residue is not hot enough to kill germs 

 • of foul brood. This I have proven by 

 several experiments. It must be boiled 

 and well stirred while boiling to be safe. 



I do not believe in, or practice, burn- 

 ing any property, such as hives, bees, 

 beeswax or honey that can be safely 

 treated and saved. Many times it is 

 poor economy to save all, and as so 



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