42 MEETING OF ENBPECTOBS OK APIARIES. 



Salicylic acid in sirup has apparently the s;tinc effect, but I would not recom- 

 mend the addition of borax, as Behring has shown that borax lowers con- 

 siderably the antiseptic value of salicylic acid. 



I tested also formic acid iii the same way. but my results so far have not 

 been satisfactory, owing to the uncertain strength of my sample of formic acid. 

 I prefer to reserve a report upon it and other substances which I wish to try 

 until later. 



.Mercuric chloride 1 have not tested, as I do not think it wise to use ii around 

 the hive. The idea of using a l per 1,000 solution to spray the diseased combs, 

 i - - iggested sometimes, is. I think, absurd, and would be a rather serious 

 operation for any living brood. 



You will see that 1 consider all these methods of treatment do not in them- 

 selves necessarily presuppose the destruction of the spores, but depend upon the 

 fact tli.it for a longer or shorter period the spores are prevented from germinat- 

 ing, and in this period they are eliminated from the infected bees. Whether the 

 vitality of the bees themselves has an effect upon the elimination or destruc- 

 tion of the spores is a point which would he extremely interesting, but one on 

 which at present we have no definite information. From the results of bac- 

 teriological work on other diseases we know that the animal body is engaged 

 in a constant warfare with the disease germs which may be introduced, and 

 this also may he the case in foul brood. Much more extended investigations, 

 however, would be necessary to prove this. It is much safer for apiarists to 

 accept the possibility of a recurrence of the disease after a course of treatment. 

 owing to the lodgment somewhere of some of the spores of Bacillus alvt i. and 

 by care and cleanliness remove this possibility. To do this the hives and 

 t'raines in which a foul broody colony has lived must be sterilized, and this may 

 be done in various ways. For the sterilization of material by disinfectants 

 there was a tendency formerly among bacteriologists to run to such dis- 

 infectants as corrosive sublimate, carbolic acid. etc.. but later work has shown 

 that there are a number of common chemicals which will act just as well, or 

 perhaps better. Corrosive sublimate has lost much of its reputation as a dis- 

 infectant within the last few years, and carbolic has been shown to be not 

 nearly so powerful as at first supposed. 



For cleaning hives and frames which are suspected to contain the spores of 

 foul brood a hot 10 per cent solution of soft soap is perhaps as effectual as 

 any that can be recommended. A good strong solution of washing soda, when 

 hot. is also very active, destroying the spores in a few- minutes. Both these are 

 certainly better than 5 per cent carbolic for disinfecting the hives and frames, 

 as their cleansing properties are so much better than it. and Behring has 

 shown that 5 per cent carbolic requires at leasl three hours at blood heat to 

 destroy the spores of anthrax. In case the soap or the washing soda is used, 

 however, it must be used as hot as possible. Of course anything which is of no 

 value should be burned. 



I trust that in this paper I have thrown a little light upon some of the facts 

 in connection with the disease of foul brood, but. as 1 stated in the begin- 

 ning, 1 reserve the privilege of submitting to you at a future meeting the re- 

 sults of next summer's work. 



Before closing 1 desire to express my thanks t" your able secretary. Mr. 

 Holtermann, for the assistance which he has given me, and also to Mr. Corneil, 

 of Lindsay, for advice and for the use of volumes of all the principal bee 

 journals, which be has supplied me with: also to Mr. Larrabee, of Michigan 

 Agricultural College, in connection with the subject of comb foundation. 



