52 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEKERS’ JOURNAL. 
proceeding is called tiering up and is, we think, ] 
the best course to adopt when honey is coming j 
in freely. . During October it is not unusual 
to have a period of very cold and stormy 
weather, which gives bees a sudden check, and 
in strong colonies that are breeding rapidly 
often brings a strain on their resources. This 
should be guarded against by being prepared 
to feed freely any colonies that are short of 
stores ; for, as we stated last month, an occur- 
ence of this kind, unless met by ready help , 
will greatly diminish the working power of 
oiu' strongest stocks. 
FOUL BROOD. 
This destructive disease appears to be doing 
serious damage to many apiaries in the co- 
lonies, and affecting most injuriously the bee- 
keeping industry generally. From accounts we 
receive it would appear to be on the increase, 
but this may, perhaps, be explained on the 
ground that until lately it was only the ex- 
perienced beekeeper that recognised the dis- 
ease. Increased knowledge has, however, 
enabled many others to detect the symptoms 
of this plague, and what used to be simply put 
down as “ moth ” or “ some disease ” is now 
found to befoul brood. 
The first step towards staying the destruc- 
tive spread of foul brood is to know it, and to 
quickly detect its first appearance. The second 
step is to take immediate measures to arrest its 
spreading ; but this is a somewhat trouble- 
some task, and is therefore, unfortunately, 
too often neglected, and the pest inevitably 
spreads. 
It is no uncommon thing to see a hiv^ 
started by some would-be beekeeper, standing 
in a garden with no signs of life about it, and 
on enquiry be told that “ the bees had done 
well for a time, but had then dwindled away 
with some disease till there was not a bee left, 
and we have not bothered with them any 
more.” Liftiug the hive cover reveals a mass 
of putrid combs, all the honey having been 
taken by bees from other hives in the neigh- 
borhood, and with it certain destruction to the 
hive to which it was taken. In this way the 
disease spi'eads, and one careless would-be 
apiarist actually contaminates a whole neigh- 
borhood. If foul brood is permitted to run 
rife and unchecked in this way, beekeeping 
will soon become an industry of the past ; for 
do what we will, so long as the disease exists, 
and we have wild bees in the forests, the same 
danger we have recited will always remain to 
some extent. If, however, every one who 
keeps bees, or attempts to do, will understand 
his responsibility in this direction, as he would 
have to do if he had scarlet fever in his house 
or infectious disease in his sheep or cattle, the 
progress of the mischief would be enormously 
decreased. To know and to be able to recog- 
nise the disease is, therefore, a most important 
matter to beekeepers. 
We have clearly described the symptoms 
and appearances in former numbers, and we 
desire now to point out what are the best 
coui-ses to adopt to stay, as far as possible, the 
spread of the disease beyond the hives it may 
be discovered in, and it may be even to cure 
an affected stock. A beekeeper once assured 
he has foul brood among his bees has a re- 
sponsibility on his shoulders with respect to 
all other beekeepers in his district which 
should be honestly and manfully accepted. 
A case of foul brood in a box hive admits of 
no attempt at cure, nor any middle course; 
it must be either totally destroyed by sulphur- 
ing, and the box, bees, and all burnt, avoiding 
all chance of other bees getting at the combs; 
or, having killed all the bees by sulphur, shake 
them out into a fire, remove the combs, placing 
all containing brood in the fire, and throwing 
all the rest into boiling water for wax. If there 
is much honey, this may be saved and boiled 
to feed bees ; but there is always danger of 
other bees getting at the combs during mani- 
pulation and taking the infection to other 
hives. We prefer total destruction of combs 
and box, as well as bees, for all that can be 
saved from a diseased stock scarcely pays for 
the trouble, let alone the risk of spreading the 
disease. Instead of destroying the bees we 
may " drive” or “ drum” them into a clean 
box and let them begin life again, feeding 
them with food medicated with phenol or sali- 
cylic acid. Burn the old box, combs and all, in 
a big fire out of doors, and do it so quickly that 
no other bees can get at the combs or honey. 
This latter course is often successful in 
eradicating the disease, and, at all events, it 
makes it a “ clean colony,” fora time at least, 
even if, as sometimes happens, it reappears. 
As bees from an infected hive entering 
another clean hive will very often carry in- 
fection, it will be necessary to do the driving 
by the close method, where no bees can get out 
during the operation ; it is also necessary, 
therefore, that the driving should be done in 
the evening, when all the bees are at home, or 
in the very early morning before any go out. 
In the case of frame hives we have more 
courses open to us, but even then, if the dis- 
ease is thoroughly established and general in 
the hive, total destruction we believe to be 
safest course. 
When the disease is not far advanced we 
may attempt a cure, but our responsibility 
with respect to the spread of the disease, either 
among our own or our neighbor’s bees, mast 
not be overlooked. 
(To be continued.) 
Two little boys were discussing the strength 
of a bee: — “He can pull more than a fly,” 
said one of them. “Well,” said the other, 
“ I dunno how much he can pull ; but when he 
backs up to you and pushes, I guess you’ll 
fall back every time.” 
