bees well wintered, with sufficient insulation and an abundance of 
good stores, will be much less subject to an attack of this disease. 
Remedial Measures—Farmers’ Bulletin No. 442* advises the shak- 
ing treatment for European foulbrood with the addition of a vigorous 
Italian queen, and for cases of heavy infection (seventy-five per cent 
or more) the writer believes this treatment still applies. In agegra- 
vated cases there is such an enormous amount of infected material 
to be cleaned out that it is the writer’s belief that it is more eco- 
nomical to take away and render these much infected combs. Then 
let the bees use their energy in building new combs or in working 
with uninfected, ready-built combs, always, of course, removing the 
old queen and giving a young, vigorous Italian. 
A method for treatment, known as the Alexander, is giving good 
results when handled with care. There are three factors involved! 
in this treatment, all of which in most cases must be used to obtain, 
satisfactory results. These are (a) a strong colony (b) a period 
of queenlessness (c) a vigorous Italian queen introduced. 
Strength of Colony—Sometimes, although not frequently, the 
colony is already strong when it is discovered to be infected with 
European foulbrood. If this should be the case the beekeeper is saved 
the work of strengthening it. 
Strength of colony necessary for a clean-up of European foul- 
brood, according to Doctor Miller and the Dadants, is at least an 
amount of brood sufficient to fill five frames of Langstroth dimensions 
and enough bees to cover seven frames. If infected colonies are not up 
to this standard of strength two or more should be united until 
this strength is attained, or a colony may be strengthened by the 
addition of combs of emerging healthy brood. 
Period of Queenlessness—The method as published by Alexander 
called for a twenty-one-day period of queenlessness. When Doctor 
Miller tried this plan he misread the directions and gave a ten-day 
period of queenlessness and effected a cure. This led to further 
experimentation along this line and seems to have resulted in a 
very flexible rule governing this period. There is evidence to show 
that bees vary in their ability or disposition to clean out the in- 
fected material afid that a colony should be left without a queen 
until they have cleaned out most of the dead matter. It will readily 
be seen that the per cent of infection and the disposition of the 
bees are the two factors in the clean-up. The condition of Doctor 
Miller’s colonies should not be overlooked, as they were undoubtedly 
above the average in strength and vigor. 
*Phillips, E. F., 1913. The Treatment of Bee Diseases. United States 
Department Agriculture. Farmers’ Bulletin, 442. 
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