216 



DISEASES AND ENEMIES OF BEES 



Authorities are not agreed as to the method of spread of this 

 disease. That it is not spread altogether- in the honey as is 

 American foul brood is evidenced by the fact that strong colonies 

 with vigorous young Italian queens frequently clean out the 

 infection and that it does not reappear in the hive. In the case 

 of a colony affected with American foul brood the final death of 

 the colony seems assured unless the last trace of the diseased 

 brood and honey is removed. While some authorities still insist 

 that the only safe method of treating European foul brood is the 



Fig. 104. — Thirteen colonies left of one hundred" five as the result of European foul 

 brood for eight months. 



shaking treatment similar to that used for American foul brood, 

 many very successful bee-keepers insist that the destruction of 

 the combs and honey is not necessary'with this disease. 



One striking peculiarity of this disease soon becomes appar- 

 ent to an inspector ; when it appears in a malignant form it is 

 usually to be found in every colony in a yard within a short 

 period of time. Wliile American foul brood may be present 

 in a yard for months without spreading, European foul brood 

 frequently, though not always, spreads very rapidly and appears 

 in all colonies very quickly. Cases have come under the writer's 

 observation, where no disease had been present in a locality, 

 European foul brood suddenly appeared in nearly every colony 



