94 ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 



It Is not necessary to remove any of the combs or honey from the 

 diseased colony; neither is it necessary to disinfect any thing about the 

 hive. Simply remove the old queen, and be sure the young queen does 

 not commence to lay until three or four days after the old brood is all 

 hatched. This treatment with young Italian queens is a perfect cure 

 for black or European foul brood. 



In regard to those old queens that were formerly in your old hives, 

 I think it best to kill them when you first take them from their colo- 

 nies — not that the queen is responsible for the disease, for I am sure 

 she is not; but a young Italian queen that has been reared from a choice 

 honey-gathering strain Is worth so much more to you that I can not 

 advise saving these old queens. 



I have experimented along this line considerably, and found, after 

 the colony has been without a queen 27 days, as above directed, it 

 will usually be safe to give them one of these old queens, and the cure 

 will be the same. Still, there have been exceptions, so I advise killing 

 them at once. 



Now a few words about your breeding-queen. Buy one of the very 

 best you can for this purpose; for upon her real merits rests the true 

 value of your apiary hereafter. I would buy a three-comb nucleus with 

 this valuable queen, so as to run no risk in introducing her to a full 

 colony. 



Now, my friends, don't let another season pass without cleansing 

 your apiary of this disease, and also at the same time requeen it with 

 young Italian queens so you will not only harvest a fair crop of honey 

 next summer, but will have an apiary that you will be proud of and 

 take pleasure in showing to your friends. I know many of you have 

 become discouraged in trying to rid your apiaries of this fatal disease; 

 but that does not help matters any. The only proper thing to do when 

 these troubles do come is to face them with a determination to over- 

 come any and every obstacle that comes in your way; then when suc- 

 cess rewards you for your perseverance, how pleasant it is to look back 

 over the past and realize that you have accomplished all you labored 

 for! I hope that you who have this disease in your apiaries will give 

 this treatment a thorough trial next season. 



November, 1905. 



EUROPEAN VS. AMERICAN FOUL BROOD. 



THE CUBE GIVEN NEVEB INTENDED FOE AMEBICAN FOUL BEOOD; THE BEES NOT 

 ABLE TO EEMOVB LAEVAE, DISEASED WITH AMERICAN FOUL 

 BEOOD, FEOM THE CELLS; THE TWO DIS- 

 EASES COMPARED. 



I do wish I could impress on the minds of all bee-keepers that I 

 have never recommended any cure for AmericaJi foul brood, and I wish 

 to have it nuderstood that I don't think that, up to the present time, 

 there has ever been a comb that was affected by American foul brood 



