32 PEARCE METHOD OF BEE-KEEPING 



this new way given in the March Review, by Mr. Joy in 

 Idaho, and is called the "water treatment" for foul brood. 

 It is like this : He takes the diseased colony and sets it into 

 a tank with a little water in, enough to come up to the top 

 of the entrance. Then he puts a clean hive with foundation 

 on top of this, with a screen on top for air, and a good weight 

 on top of all, so the hives cannot rise. Then he begins to 

 pour water in the tank and lets it rise to the top of the old 

 bottom hive he is transferring from, or just to the bottom 

 of the combs in the top hive. He says to take about twenty 

 minutes to pour in the water, and the bees rise of course 

 with the water and are all pushed up in the upper hive. Then 

 you can put a clean bottom board on where you lifted the 

 diseased hive from, and set this hive with the bees in on this 

 board and the job is completed. Now, while I have never 

 tried this way, still I believe it will work and should be a 

 great relief, and believe it should go a long way towards 

 helping to eradicate foul brood, for with this plan no bees 

 can get in and none get out, and with no combs to handle 

 or no bees to come in contact with, it surely ought to be a 

 relief. One reason why I believe it should be a success is, 

 because I had my bees wrecked by a hail storm, and the 

 whole apiary was turned into a pond of water, and the hives 

 floating. It was the last of May and the hives were heavy ; 

 there was only about two inches of the hives above water 

 and the bees were all pushed up in that little space. I fished 

 the hives out and set them on the ground, but I think I lost 

 no bees nor queens, nor did there seem to be much loss of 

 brood, and in a few days they had the mud cleaned out and 

 gave us a good crop of honey, so I believe that this water 

 treatment will work. Let us all try it on one. 



