Texas Beekeeping. 123 



The exposure of combs containing diseased honey about the yard, 

 either carelessly or from an oversight on the part of the beekeeper, 

 is a means of rapid spreading of the disease. Feeding bees with honey 

 from combs which have contained diseased larvae is a most dangerous 

 source of spreading foul brood, and the greatest care should be taken 

 not to feed honey from an unknown source at any time. Exceeding 

 care should also be taken when handling diseased colonies, not to 

 have so much as a trace of diseased honey upon the hands, or cloth- 

 ing, for if there is the least particle, there is danger of carrying the 

 disease to healthy colonies in the aijiary. It is absolutely necessary 

 that the hands and the tools used be washed very thoroughly with a 

 disinfectant. It should be remembered that any practice which per- 

 mits the transfer of honey, contaminated with the spores, to healthy 

 brood wiU probably spread the disease, and all manipulations should, 

 therefore, be made in such a way and with such care that this may be 

 avoided. > 



European Foul Brood. The other disease, known as "black brood" 

 or, more properly, European foul brood, has not as yet made its 

 appearance in Texas. It is very similar to American foul brood, 

 but some features of the disease are slightly different. Fewer of the 

 larvae survive long enough to be capped over and, therefore, the 

 sunken and perforated cappings are not as prominent as in the other 

 disease. The larvae sink toward the base of the cell instead of the 

 lower wall and do not present the same rotten mass and give off the 

 odor of American foul brood. The dead brood gives oflf a sour smell, 

 instead of the characteristic glue pot odor. The diseased larvae do 

 not rope, or. string out, like American foul brood when examined 

 with a toothpick slowly withdrawn. Unlike the dried down scales 

 of American foul brood, the scales of European foul brood can be re- 

 moved by the bees from the cells, although many of them are not re- 

 moved. 



This disease is not as destructive, but spreads more rapidly than 

 American foul brood, and, unlike the latter, it sometimes disappears 

 without treatment. Although it is not now in Texas, every beekeeper 

 should study this disease, as it may be introduced into the State with 

 shipments of bees at any time. The methods employed for the eradi- 

 cation of European foul brood are identically the same as those given 

 for the American kind. 



A Warning. If in doubt about the probable trouble when dead 

 brood is discovered, samples of the comb containing diseased brood, 

 should be sent to the State Foul Brood Inspector, at College Station, 

 Texas, for identification. 



The greatest care possible should be taken, however, about the man- 

 ner in which the samples are packed for mailing. Do not, under any 

 circumstances, send samples of diseased brood in anything but a 

 strong wooden or tin box, carefully wrapped in several thicknesses of 

 strong paper. The dangers of spreading the dreaded diseases by ex- 

 posing samples, are too great to permit any carelessness, or slovenli- 

 ness, in this respect. 



Beekeepers should have no fear of asking for any information re- 

 garding bee diseases, as such matters are kept strictly confidential. 

 The foul brood law of Texas requires that all cases of foul brood, or 



