THOUSAND ANSWERS 99 



healthy which has been slightly diseased the previous year. If a 

 colony has been very badly diseased this year, next year you may 

 look for it at the very start with plenty of diseased larvae, proba- 

 bly because of the millions of spores that are present-. 



Q. In treating colonies with European foulbrood by dequeen- 

 ing or caging the queen all agree the first thing to do is to make 

 the colony strong. I find that ideas differ on this matter of strong 

 colonies. What is the minimum strength with which you could 

 expect success? 



A. You have struck a new question, yet now that it is asked 

 the wonder is that it was never asked before. Without being 

 dogmatic about it, I should say that the colony should be strong 

 enough to have six Langstroth frames well filled with brood — to 

 be more specific about it, each frame being three.-fourths filled. 

 I think it also important that there be a good force of young 

 bees, and without this it would not be likely that six frames 

 would be well filled with brood. Old bees that have begun work 

 Afield are not the ones that do house-cleaning, and it may well 

 be questioned whether doubling up such bees to any extent 

 would answer the purpose. 



Q. Are the germs of European foulbrood transmitted by 

 honey, or, in other words, would a frame of sealed or unsealed 

 honey (with no brood) from an infected colony infect a healthy 

 one? 



A. I think it would in some cases. I know that in some cases 

 it does not. I would have little fear of surplus honey from an 

 infected colony. I would not feel quite so safe about a brood- 

 comb, even if it contained no brood. With American foulbrood 

 the case is different. However, in either case, I should prefer 

 both honey and combs that had never been within a mile of a 

 foulbroody hive. 



Q. Would combs that have never contained brood be affected 

 in any way, even if they had been drawn out by colonies affected 

 with European foulbrood? Would it be safe to use any of those 

 combs? Now I have 200 self-spacing frames all drawn-out combs. 

 They have been exposed to the diseased colonies, but not used 

 for brood-rearing. The diseased colonies had stored honey in 

 them, and I extracted it. Would it be all right to use them, or 

 would it be better to make wax out of them? Everybody's bees 

 are affected around here, as one of the beekeepers left his hives 

 out to be cleaned up where bees had died. 



A. I have used such combs without bad results. Whether it 

 would always work so well I cannot say. If I had never had the 



