THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ .JOURNAL. 
81 
out again, more especially if we bear in 
mind that any one germ, under favourable 
conditions in a hive, can grow and multiply at 
such a rate as very soon to completely destroy 
it. Those who have had foul brood in their 
hives during the past season we would recom- 
mend to be on their guard, and take such 
measures as will ensure the disease not 
breaking out again. 
It is generally in spring that foul brood 
first shows itself, and then much more difficult 
to recognise. This is why so many allow it to 
get to a more advanced stage before they are 
really aware that they have it in their hives. 
When foul brood is tolerably advanced, it is 
easily recognised, as the caps of the sealed 
brood appear pierced or partly removed, and 
the cells contain a putrid sticky coffee-coloured 
substance, which is all that remains of the 
sealed larvee. If the head of a pin be inserted 
in this substance, it can be drawn out into 
long threads, and in this respect it differs from 
chilled brood, in which the remains of the 
decayed larva: are watery and not tenacious. 
Frequently foul brood may be recognised even 
without opening a hive. Numbers of bees will 
be seen at the hive entrance vigorously fan- 
ning, and at the same time the air drawn from 
the hive will have a putrid, nauseating odour, 
which can be perceived several feet from the 
hive. The disease should not be allowed to get 
to this stage, but attacked when it first shows 
any signs of being present. It requires a 
careful scrutiny of the combs to recognise 
foul brood in its earliest stages, and even then 
the novice may fail to do so. 
On examining the brood, notice must be 
taken of the larvae. If diseased, instead of 
lying curled round at the bottom of the cell, 
they are generally turned in such a way as to 
show their backs and move about in an 
unnatural way. These larvae, instead of being 
white, have a slightly yellowish tint, which 
deepens as the disease advances. Those cells 
containing larvae, sealed over before they had 
been attacked by the disease, will be slightly 
darker in appearance than the surrounding 
brood, and whereas the capping of this is 
raised, the diseased cells will be found depressed. 
We must caution the beekeeper not to expose 
brood too much in spring. For a minute 
examination a warm day should be chosen, 
otherwise the brood may become chilled, and 
in this way form an active medium for the pro- 
pagation of foul brood. The treatment we 
should recommend is that by means of camphor, 
discovered by M. D. Ossipow, a Russian bee- 
keeper of great experience. This remedy, 
which we have on several occasions alluded to, 
and which wo described in the British Bee 
Journal in 1874, is so simple, and, from reports 
we have on several occasions alluded to and 
which we receive from all parts of Europe, so 
efficacious, that it must commend itself to all 
beekeepers. It consists in simply placing one 
or two pieces of camphor, about the size of a 
walnut, wrapped up in rag on to the floor board 
inside the hive. The camphor evaporates 
slowly and can be renewed when it has 
entirely disappeared. 
Mr. Cheshire, at page 71, states M. Durand 
directs attention to camphor as yielding admir- 
able results if the diseased brood be removed. 
There is, however, not the slightest necessity 
to remove any brood at all, and it is because 
of its extreme simplicity that this treatment 
commends itself in preference to such processes 
as Boutlerow’s phenol treatment (lately advo- 
cated by Mr. Cheshire,) or the similar treat- 
ment by salicylic and and fumigation of 
Hilbert. Mr. Charles Seren, in the January 
number of the Bulletin d’ Apiculture de la 
Suisse Romande, describes how often other 
remedies had failed, and in a very short time 
cured with camphor foul brood in hives where 
breeding was being carried on, and without 
the removal of any of the brood. To those who 
have not foul brood, or any signs of it, we 
should still recommend them the use of 
camphor as a preventative, or even to do as 
we do, and never to give bees syrup without 
the addition of salicylic acid. It has also been 
recommended by M. Jane to give bees cam- 
phorated syrup ; but camphor is not readily 
dissolved in water, the proportions being one 
in thirteen, although a little more is desired if 
the water be kept warm. 
There is another remedy which was first 
introduced by M. Klempin, which also appears 
very simple, namely, fumigation with common 
thyme. No special fumigation is required, 
but an ordinary smoker can be used. The 
simple herb as grown in the garden is dried, 
lighted, and the smoker filled with it. The 
nozzle of the smoser is then placed in the 
entrance, and the smoke blown into the hive. 
This is done every evening for eight days to a 
fortnight without disturbing bees or brood, 
after which it is said the disease entirely dis- 
appears. Both these remedies, either used by 
themselves or in conjunction with one another, 
are simple, inexpensive, and easy of applica- 
tion, and we hope beekeepers will give them 
a fair trial. The camphor remedy has already 
been before the public for some years, and is 
so simple in its application that the merest 
novice can do no harm by its use. We there- 
fore recommend all those who have had foul- 
brood, or suspect foul-brood in their districts, 
to put a lump or two of camphor into their 
hives at once, and prevent what they might 
find much more difficult to eradicate if they 
allowed the disease to attain its full develop 
ment . — British Bee Journal. 
