92 DR. MILLER^S 



increase; btit the wrong kind does; as when a comb is taken from 

 a diseased colony and given to a healthy one. I don't mean that 

 giving a frame of brood from one colony to another is wrong ma- 

 nipulation in all cases, but it is wrong where the brood is taken 

 from a diseased colony. 



Q. Is it safe to use section-boxes over again with drawn- 

 comb and without comb, that have been on colonies that had 

 foulbrood? 



A. I should not be afraid to use them in case of European 

 foulbrood, but with American foulbrood there might be danger. 



Q. How can I tell foulbrood? 



A. The chief symptom in American foulbrood is the ropy 

 character of the dead larva ; stick a toothpick, into it, and when 

 you draw it out it will string an inch or two. If European 

 foulbrood, look for larva: that instead of being nearly white 

 are quite yellowish. If you write to Dr. E. F. Phillips, Department 

 of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, he will send you, gratis, valua- 

 ble printed matter about foulbrood, and also a box so that you 

 may send sample of diseased brood for expert diagnosis. 



Q. You have written several plans for curing foulbrood. Now, 

 if half of your colonies were diseased next spring, what treat- 

 ment would you choose? 



A. If they had American foulbrood, I would use the McEvoy 

 plan. If it was European, I would wait till perhaps the beginning 

 of clover harvest, and first see that each colony to be treated 

 was made strong by uniting or by giving frames of brood well ad- 

 vanced. Then I would remove the queen and give to the colony 

 a ripe queen-cell or a virgin queen of best stock. 



Q. Is there anything that could be fed to the bees to prevent 

 foulbrood? 



A. In this country drugs are generally considered of no ac- 

 count in foulbrood. In England it is a common thing to add 

 naphthol beta to the bees' food, with the idea that it helps to 

 prevent foulbrood. 



Foulbrood, American. — Q. What are the ' chief causes of 

 American foulbrood? I have never heard of a case in this sec- 

 tion. 



A. The chief and the only cause is the presence of a microbe, 

 bacillus larvae, and the disease is generally conveyed to a healthy 

 colony by means of honey from a diseased colony. A drop of in- 

 fected honey no larger than a pin-head is enough to start the 

 destruction of an entire apiary. 



