484 DISEASES OP BEES. 



— when either honey or beeswax is heated to kill the germs 

 of foulbrood— to keep the liquid at the boiling point for a 

 couple hours at least, as it has been asserted by several 

 experimenters that less than two hours, and in some cases 

 less than three hours of boiling, left the germs alive. All 

 agree that after three hours of boiling the germs are entirely 

 destroyed. With those precautions the danger will be en- 

 tirely eliminated. We have never seen a case of foulbrood 

 in our own yards, although for years we have bought bees- 

 wax from all sources and made it into foundation, which 

 we used in large quantities. 



796. But the bee-keeper must remember that, since this 

 is a contagious disease, he must use the greatest precaution, 

 for instance, he should wash his hands in a solution of 

 phenol or salicylic acid, when going from one hive to an- 

 other, after treating a sick colony. He should carefully 

 prevent all chances of robbing, and leave nothing exposed 

 that has belonged to a diseased colony. It is also best to 

 apply a preventive treatment by feeding medicated food to 

 all the colonies in an apiary, when the disease has once been 

 discovered, for if but a few spores escape and they find a 

 favorable chance they will soon spread the contagion again. 



797. This reminds our Senior of an incident that hap- 

 pened in his younger days, while he lived with his father, 

 who was a physician. A laborer had come to the old doc- 

 tor for an ointment to cure the " itch." He had caught this 

 — now uncommon and ever disgraceful — contagious skin dis- 

 ease, while working as a harvest hand, in the country. Di- 

 rections were given him for using the ointment, and he was 

 told that his wife should anoint with it also, as a preventive. 

 But the woman, who did not have the disease, refused to use 

 it, and two weeks afterwards the man came back for more 

 ointment. He was cured, but his wife had the itch in her 

 turn. The doctor gave him some, and told him that he should 

 use it too, or he might catch the disease again; but he did 

 not mind the warning, and two weeks later, he had to call 



