16 



TREATMENT OF BEE DISEASES. 



disease will rarely reappear. If it should, a repetition of the treat- 

 ment will be necessary. 



Saving the healthy brood. — The old combs are now quickly removed. 

 If several colonies are being treated at one time it may pay to stack 

 several hive bodies containing contaminated combs over a weak 

 diseased colony to allow most of the healthy brood to emerge, thereby 

 strengthening the weak colony. After 10 or 12 days this colony is 

 treated in turn and all the combs rendered into wax. If only one 

 or two colonies in a large ajjiary are being treated it will not pay fo 

 do this. 



Saving the wax. — Any but a very small apiary should have in- 

 cluded in its equipment a wax press for removing wax from old 

 combs. After the contaminated frames are taken to the honey house 



the combs should be kept carefullj' 

 covered, so that no bees can reach 

 them until the Avax can be ren- 

 dered. This should not be de- 

 layed Aery long or the comb^ may 

 be ruined by wax moths. The 

 slumgum or refuse remaining 

 after the wax is removed should 

 be burned. Contaminated combs 

 should not be put into a solar wax 

 extractor for fear of spreading the 

 dis^^ase. The wax from contami- 

 nated combs may safely be used 

 for the manufacture of comb 

 foundation. 



Cleaning the hive. — The hive 



which has contained the diseased 



(Origiaai., ^^^j^^^^. ^j^^^j^j ^^ thoroughly 



cleaned of all wax and honey, and it is desirable that it be care- 

 fully disinfected by burning out the inside with a gasoline blue- 

 flame torch (fig. T). If this piece of apparatus is not available 

 several hive bodies ma}' be piled together on a hive bottom and 

 some gasoline or kerosene poured on the sides and on some straw 

 or excelsior at the bottom. This is then ignited and after burn- 

 ing for a few seconds a close-fitting hive cover is placed on top 

 of the pile to extinguish the flames. The inside of the hive bodies 

 should be charred to a light brown. The careful cleaning and dis- 

 infection of frames always costs considerably more in labor than 

 new frames would cost, but these also may be carefully cleaned and 

 used again. Frames may be cleaned by boiling in water for about 

 half an hour, but this frequently causes them to warp badly. The 

 disinfection of hives and frames with chemicals is not recommended, 

 as the ordinary strengths used are valueless for the purpose. 



442 



Fig. 



-Gasoline torch. 



