156 MONEY IN BEES IN AUSTRALASIA 



Bear in mind all the time that strong microscopic power 

 is necessary to see either spore or bacillus. The spores 

 are not affected by freezing, and have survived the high 

 temperature of 210° for a lengthy period. They retain 

 their vitality in the spore stage for a number of years, 

 simply awaiting the opportunity of favourable media to 

 go through the cycle again. 



HOW BEES CONTRACT FOUL BROOD. 

 How do bees become infected with this specific 

 bacillus'? In the vast majority of cases from honey that 

 has contained a "seed" or spore of the disease. Perhaps 

 from some diseased bee tree ; or the box hive, now happily 

 prohibited in Victoria and New Zealand, of some 

 negligent owner. In a few instances possibly from 

 blossoms infected by spores carried on the body of a 

 visitor from some distant colony. When the disease has 

 once gained admittance to the apiary, it is extremely 

 probable that other hives will be infected from spores 

 carried on the fingers of the apiarist, unless precautions 

 are taken to disinfect the hands before opening healthy 

 hives. It is within the bounds of possibility that the 

 constitution of the bees is so weakened by improper food, 

 etc., that a spore adventitiously picked up, finds suitable 

 media and develops into a bacillus. 



HOW TO CURE FOUL BROOD. 

 Now that the main features of this disease have been 

 outlined, the question of curing it will receive attention. 

 There is only one way practised by professional apiarists 

 to combat this plague successfully; it is called the 

 starvation cure. To describe treatment by drugs is 

 superfluous; the author has tried carbolic acid, salicylic 

 acid, lysol, formalin and various other drugs, but they 

 are waste of time and money. After successfully treating 

 many hundreds of diseased colonies (some of them on a 

 Government farm) by the starvation method, the author 

 feels that he is quite safe in limiting the curative agents 

 to this one formula. The application is not difficult, and 

 is here given as simply as possible. 



