How TO Control American Foulbrood 9 



Second hand hives and equi^pment should never be used 

 without first scraping and washing them in hot lye water. 



Spread of disease locally is caused by exposing infected 

 honey to robber bees or through interchanging infected combs 

 from diseased to healthy colonies. When the disease once 

 appears in a yard, immediate measures should be taken to 

 stamp it out. No risk however small should be taken by 

 exposing a diseased colony to robbing; and diseased, colonies 

 should not be opened at all during brood rearing when bees 

 are not able to gather nectar in the field. A single drop pf 

 honey taken from a diseased colony may be sufficient to carry 

 the disease to a healthy colony- 

 After the honey flow, manipulation of diseased colonies 

 should be left until late October when brood rearing has 

 ceased. The danger is not so great then because the infected 

 honey will nearly always be put in the center of the brood nest 

 and will be consumed before the next brood rearing period 

 begins. t 



Removal of Ii«ifected Honey and Combs Necessary 



There is but a single principle involved in the eradication 

 of American foulbrood. That is to destroy every living germ 

 in a hive and eliminate all sources of reinfection. 



A study of the conditions within a- diseased colony shows 

 that the adult bees are not afifected, and that they do not carry 

 the disease except in the distribtition of honey which contains 

 the bacteria or spores. When all germ-bearing honey and 

 combs are removed from a colony of bees, the disease dis- 

 appears. 



A, certain amovmt of diseased honey is carried by the bees in 

 transferring them from the old rombs to sheets of foundation, 

 but apparently all of this honey is consumed during the first 

 24 to 48-hour period in the new hive. 



A strong colony of bees when transferred to full sheets, of 

 foundation will, in less than 48 hours, draw out cells far 

 enough so that the queen will lay eggs in them. They may 

 also store small arciounts of honey in cells surrounding the 

 brood, but this honey is used up by the bees before the eggs 

 hatch. This provides a period of at least four days for the 

 entire, consumption of the honey. Then for a period of three 

 'days, theoretically, the young larvae are not fed, honey, but 



