THE 
minim ^ttktpxs’ 
JOURNAL. 
Vol. I— No. 7.] JULY, 1886. [Price 6d. 
EDITORIAL, NOTICES, &c. 
Foul Brood and Various Methods 
of Cure. 
The disease known as foul brood is undoubt- 
edly the most formidable and destructive of bee 
diseases, and the one most dreaded by all 
beekeepers. It is extremely contagious and 
rapidly ruins a whole apiary if it ever gets an 
unchecked hold of the hives. For a long time 
it was regarded as incurable, and eradication 
by destruction of bees, combs, hives, and all, 
was considered the only means by which its 
ravages could be stayed. More recent experi- 
ence has given apiarists methods for controlling 
the disease, and it has been clearly shown, 
within the last year or two, that it is curable 
by very simple methods carried out with great 
care. 
The fact that foul brood is very contagious 
should be fully recognised by all beekeepers ; 
the germs stick to every thing belonging to 
the hive, even to the bees themselves, and it is 
considered very probable that they leave infec- 
tion in the flowers they visit, so that bees from 
other hives or other apiaries pick up the germs 
in seeking for their stores, and so carry infec- 
tion to their hitherto healthy hives. Pieces of 
comb from a diseased stock offer a sure source 
of infection ; and although Mr. Cheshire states 
that no germs are ever found in the honey 
itself of a foul-brooded hive, we should be very 
sorry to use such honey for healthy stocks, 
without disinfecting it by scalding or adding 
carbolic or salicylic acid to it. A single foul- 
broody stock left to the ravages of the disease 
will infect a whole neighbourhood, it is there- 
fore of immense importance that its existence 
should always be carefully looked for, and 
quickly and vigorously dealt with immediately 
the smallest beginning is found. It would be 
just as blameable and unfair to one’s neigh- 
bours to allow this malady to go unchecked, 
as to permit scabby sheep or cattle afflicted 
with contagious disease to roam about among 
our neighbours’ flocks and herds. 
The signs of foul brood in hives have 
already been described in these pages, and is 
given in almost all bee books. The sickly 
odour of an infected hive is often referred to 
as the plainest and most unmistakable indica- 
tion, but when the disease has progressed so 
far as to attract attention by its peculiar and 
offensive odour, it has already spread its mis- 
chief abroad. Of course the presence of the 
foul brood germs ( Bacillus alvei) is not 
discoverable by ordinary means until it begins 
to be fatal to the young brood, and the bad 
odour does not become evident until a large 
quantity of brood is killed and has become 
putrid. 
The bees of a hive affected with this disease 
do not die with it, and w f ork on as usual until 
the colony gets weak for lack of young bees 
to replace those dying from age, when they 
appear to lose some of their bustling vigour 
and become dull and listless ; but little help 
therefore is afforded by the behaviour of the 
bees themselves towards detecting the presence 
of the disease within the hives in its early 
stages. An examination of the brood combs, 
however, soon settles the question. If all the 
young grubs not yet sealed over look yearly 
white and healthy, and those sealed over 
are clustered about one part of the comb, while 
all other cells, round about which are unsealed, 
are either empty and clean or filled with 
honey, there is no foul brood ; but on the 
other hand, if the grubs look a little dirty or 
