The Sterilization of American Foulbrood Combs 





Combs immersed 24 hours 



Combs immersed 48 hours 



Disinfectant 



Cultures from 

 capped cells 



Cultures from 

 uncapped cells 



Cultures from 

 capped cells 



Cultures from 

 uncapped cells 





1 



2 3 



1 



1 



2 



3 



1 2 



3 



1 



2 



3 



Formalin 100 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 



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+ 

 + 

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 . 

 

 

 









 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 0. 

 

 







Formalin 50, water 50 



Formalin 25, water 75 



Formalin 20, water 80 



Formalin 15, water 85 



Formalin 10, water 90 



Formalin 50, alcohol 50 



Formalin 20, alcohol 80 



Hutzelman's solution ._ 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 



He further says : 



It will be seen that in the case of uncapped cells, after twenty-four hours' 

 immersion in all dilutions of formalin used, the spores of B. larvae were 

 killed. In case of the capped cells, however, a few of the spores were not 

 killed in this length of time either in the water dilutions or in Hutzelman's 

 solution. 



After forty-eight hours' immersion, however, all spores were killed in capped 

 cells as well as in uncapped cells. Thus, in these experiments, the water dilu- 

 tions of formalin proved to be as effective as the alcohol solutions in destroy- 

 ing the spores of B. larvae as they occur in the scales of the infected brood 

 combs. 



Although this method has been in use for only about two years, 

 one of the bee journals has published several reports concerning the 

 successful use of the alcohol-formalin solution, describing in all the 

 treatment of several thousand combs. One of the most notable cases 

 is that of O. E. Barber, of Ohio, reported by G. S. Demuth (8) , in 

 which some 6,000 combs were treated during the summer of 1923, 

 apparently without recurrence of disease. There have been other 

 similar cases, all indicating that this solution is satisfactory. On 

 the other hand, during the latter part of the summer of 1924, J. L. 

 Byer, of Ontario, Canada, who had treated 400 infected brood combs 

 and 1,100 super combs (#), found several cases of recurrence of 

 disease (3) in colonies made from package bees placed on these 

 treated combs. Some of these combs were sent to Doctor Jones, 

 but cultures made from them failed to give growth {If). Two simi- 

 lar cases of recurrence of disease after the use of an alcohol-formalin 

 solution have also come to the attention of the Bee Culture Labora- 

 tory, through correspondence. So far as can be learned, all pre- 

 cautions were taken in these cases, and no adequate explanation can 

 be given for the recurrence of disease other than that for some rea- 

 son the disinfection could not have been complete. 



The alcohol-formalin treatment of foulbrood combs received con- 

 siderable discussion at the annual convention of the Ontario Bee- 

 keepers' Association in 1925, as reported by Byer (S) in one of the 

 bee journals. He says: 



While reports in the main were favorable, yet some outstanding failures 

 were reported, and the department at Guelph is not yet prepared to advise the 

 treatment of badly diseased combs from the brood chamber. They do, how- 

 ever, recommend treating all super combs from diseased colonies, as every test 

 made with such combs failed to produce any disease. From the address of 



