90 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
uniform success for the past two years. I 
will mention the facts in two or three of the 
apiaries for which I have prescribed this 
treatment : — 1. Number of colonies in the 
apiary, 46 ; number apparently diseased, 13 ; 
number actually diseased, 28. Disease so far 
progressed that the stench was very offensive 
in the yard ; bees crawling out of the hives to 
die by tens of thousands. Effect of treatment 
apparent in one day — a permanent cure in 
each case. 2. Number of colonics, 60 ; serious 
cases, 38 ; combs black and putrid ; a few 
had already been burned ; effect of treatment 
apparent at once ; a permanent cure in each 
case. 3. Number of colonies, over 130 ; num- 
ber of colonies, over 150 ; number of colonies 
diseased, 60 ; bees swarming out ; stench from 
hives nauseating ; combs black and rotten ; 
brood putrid ; whole apiary treated ; disease 
immediately arrested ,• effect of treatment on 
affected colonies instantaneous, even on 
apparently hopeless cases; every colony 
cured ; disease eradicated, leaving no trace 
behind. Colonies all soon became strong, 
healthy, and prosperous.” 
2. The next division, that of the complete 
destruction of hive and contents by fire, is a 
most effectual method of dealing with the 
disease, and is akin to the plan advocated by 
one of our members, who cures a hen of eating 
her eggs by cutting her head off ! Alley 
expresses his opinion with no uncertain 
sound: — “If my apiary were infected with 
this disease, I should remove the queen from 
every infected colony, and at once utterly and 
totally burn and destroy every trace and 
vestige of hive, frame, and comb, even going 
so far as to burn up the stand upon which the 
hive containing the infected colony was 
placed.” 
The beekeeper may require much moral 
courage to bring himself to utterly destroy a 
beautiful colony of valuable bees in, perhaps, 
an expensive hive, but if he possesses an 
apiary of any size it may after all prove by 
far the most economical course in the end. A. 
I. Boot’s case affords an “ awful example.” 
His apiary of about 500 hives was attacked in 
July, 1886, and he is still ‘ r experimenting.” 
Had he immediately burned the one or two 
colonies — bees, hives, and all — on the very 
first appearance of the disease, he would long 
since probably have stamped it out. 
3. My last division contains the methods of 
Quinby and Woodbury, with the modified 
systems of D. A. Jones and Muth, offshoots 
from the first two. 
Quinby’s treatment is given as follows : — 
“ The first thing to be done is to confine the 
bees in an empty hive or box, set them in a 
dark cool place, and let them remain there at 
least 24 hours that all the honey they carry 
with them may be consumed. There is no 
doubt but the honey from an infected hive 
will carry the contagion to a new stock 
of brood. After a sufficient time has elapsed 
to prevent this danger the bees may be put ji 
into a hive filled with healthy combs or I 
foundation. The portions of comb containing 
the diseased brood should be carefully cut ont , 
and buried, and the remainder converted into 
wax. If honey remains it can be utilised for 
feeding by thoroughly boiling and skinmino 
it. . . . The condemned hive may be : 
cleansed completely by scalding it with boil, 
ing water and scraping thoroughly. Exposure i 
to the weather will usually complete the 
disinfection.” 
Woodbury, the English apiarist, extirpated 
the disease in 1863. His method was to cage 
the queen in an empty hive or box, into which 
all the bees were quickly brushed to prevent 
them from taking much of the infected honey 
with them. In this hive they remained three 
or four days, and were tht-n put into a clean 
one and supplied with a few pure combs. As 
soon as they appeared to have settled down 
and become contented their queen was 
released. In this manner he treated the 
whole apiary, which was very badly diseased, 
and a permanent cure was the result. 
D. A. Jones, the Canadian authority, pro- 
ceeds thus : — “ Remove all the combs not con- 
taining brood, extract the honey, and boil it, 
then it is ready to feed back. Render the 
combs into wax and make it into foundation ; 
boil the frames fifteen minutes, and fill in the 
foundation again, placing them in clean hives. 1 
Drum and smoke the bees until they all fill 
themselves with honey — (this is very import- 
ant, for if some are not filled they will die 
when others have plenty) ; shale off the bees> 
leaving enough to nurse the brood ; place 
them in a box covered with wire cloth, carry 
it to a cool dark cellar or beehouse, lay it on 
its side, and allow the bees to remain there 
from sixty to eighty hours, until they drop 
and show signs of starvation ; then shake 
them into the clean hives with foundation, 
feed them, and put them into a new location, 
at least one or two miles away from the 
diseased yard. As soon as the queen and bees 
are removed for starving, the hatching brood 
and bees should be doubled up, so as to have 
all colonies full of combs of hatching brood. J 
The empty hives thus secured should be 
scalded for future use. As soon as all the 
brood hatches the bees may be brushed off the , 
combs after being made to fill themselves 
with honey, like the first lot, placed in boxes, ■ 
and treated in the same way. Now bring the I 
first lot purified hack to the yard again, and ■ 
you have all your bees and hives purified and 
free from disease, if you have done it as it I 
should be done, without any loss except your 
time.” 
The next process is that of Muth, who feeds J 
medicated syrup after the transfer. This is 
the method I have lately carried ont with 
success, and I therefore give it in detail : — 
Examine very critically alt hives in the < 
apiary, marking off those that show the 
