150 PLEASUBABLE BEE-KEEPING. 



when administered by means of a fumigator according 

 to the directions given by the inventor, M. Ed. Bertrand, 

 but few bee-keepers go to the trouble of fumigating. 

 As the bacilli are found in the alimentary canal of the 

 bee all food given should be medicated. The salicylic 

 acid solution for this purpose is made, according to 

 Mr. Cowan's directions, as follows : — Salicylic acid, 1 

 oz. ; soda borax, 1 oz. ; water, 4 pints. Half an ounce 

 will be about the correct amount of the solution to six 

 pounds of sugar. 



Phenol. Mr. Cheshire, in a paper read at an im- 

 portant meeting of bee-keepers in 1884, gave a means 

 of cure by phenol ; but as bees have a reluctance to 

 take food medicated with this remedy the syrup must 

 be poured into the empty cells around the brood, in 

 order that the bees may be compelled to take and use 

 this cm-e. In the hands of the painstaking bee-keeper 

 success by this method is certain. 



Formic acid was first advocated by Mr. E. Sproule, 

 of Dublin, who also used phenol with success previous 

 to the reading of Mr. Cheshire's paper. The chief 

 merit of this means of dealing with the disease is 

 its simplicity. The acid penetrates all parts of the 

 hive, and in a short time, by its use, apiaries have been 

 rid of the pest. The following directions are by Messrs. 

 Bewdley & Draper, Dublin, who prepare the remedy. 

 " Select a frame of clean empty comb and pour about 

 four ounces of formic acid into it by placing it on a 

 table and dropping the acid on it from a height of a 

 few inches. Contract the hive to as many frames as 

 the bees can cover, and hang the frames containing 

 the acid at the rear of the hive, cover up warmly, and 



