THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
119 
Appearance of Foul Brood. 
In its first stages, the larvae when attacked 
begin to move unnaturally, and instead of being 
curled around on the bottom of the cells, they 
sometimes turn in such a way as to present their 
dorsal to the eye of the observer, and it may then 
be noticed that the color of the larva; is somewhat 
yellowish instead of being pearly white. Larva; 
thus affected seldom are sealed over, but such 
grubs as are further advanced in growth before 
the disease strikes them, are in due time sealed, 
but as they die, their bodies turn brown and 
become a putrid mass, the cell sealing sinks, and 
a small, irregular hole may be seen in the capping. 
The bees may also be seen very energetically 
fanning at the entrance of the hive, and in ad- 
vanced cases an indescribable odor may be 
observed ; and if the cappings of the diseased 
cells are removed, a very brown, coffee-colored 
mass will be seen at the bottom of the cell, which 
is so tenacious that if a head of a pin is inserted 
into the mass, it may be drawn out, a thread-like 
and ropy substance. The foregoing are the 
general indications of the disease. 
Propagation of Foul Brood. 
Foul brood is a very contagious disease, and if 
started, and not properly treated, so as to check 
its progress, it will rapidly spread from cell to cell, 
and from colony to colony. 
As to the propagation of this disease, the con- 
clusions aie varied, and as yet not fully under- 
stood j but many of our leading apiarists have the 
idea that the bees, while robbing the depopulated 
colonies, carry the bacilli or spores on their bodies, 
or in the honey from apiary to apiary, and from 
hive to hive. Some go even so far as to think 
that if a bee visits a flower that has been pre- 
viously visited by a bee from a diseased colony, 
the spores of the disease can be picked up in that 
way, and carried to the hive. I do not think that 
this is quite correct, and my reasons are these : 
About three years ago I noticed a colony that 
was in advanced stages of the disease, that was 
being robbed, and upon investigation, I found 
that the robber bees were located less than half a 
mile away, and the robbing had been going on for 
some time, as quite a line of bees were going to 
and from the hive, and most of the honey from the 
outside frames had been carried away by the 
robbers ; yet, strange as it may be, no disease has 
appeared. This shows that the honey contained 
no spores ; also'that the bees, by flying less than 
half a mile, carried no spores to affect the colonies 
that contained the robber bees. Still, when the 
disease is once started in an apiary, it spreads very 
rapidly. 
Now if the honey contains no spores, the ques- 
tion would arise, how is the disease propagated ? 
Would it not be reasonable to suppose that it is 
carried from hive to hive through the air, as an 
indescribable and nauseating odor is emitted from 
the hives where the disease is somewhat advanced ? 
What is odor, no more nor less than very minute 
parcels from the substance from which it arises ? 
and in these progressive limes in bee-culture, 
when bees are sold by the pound, and bees and 
queens are shipped and sent through the mails 
from State to State, and from country to country, 
the disease may also in this way be carried from 
one country to the other. 
It may, after being once started, if not properly 
treated, become hereditary ; as one of our Profes- 
sors has said, that a queen reared in a foul-broody 
colony would not live over one year, which I know 
is not always correct, from the fact that I have 
seen a queen that was reared in a very foul-broody 
colony, that lived a part of three years, and lived 
through two winters ; yet if not always treated in 
the brood-rearing season, her progeny would be 
affected, and foul brood again appear. This 
colony was examined in the latter part of August 
in the third summer of her life, and the brood was 
to all appearance in a healthy condition, yet after 
leaving them without treatment for 21 days, upon 
examining the colony, it was again found to be 
affected with the disease, and upon giving them 
a heavy dose of the treatment in the forenoon, 
they swarmed out and left the apiary, going in a 
southerly direction. This shows that it would be 
very dangerous to procure a queen that had been 
reared in a foul-broody colony. 
I think I have shown some very good reasons 
as to how bacillus alvei get into a colony. It is 
also quite certain that very many bees of a colony 
may be diseased for weeks and even months with 
this bacillus, and yet foul brood may not be seen, 
as bees clear out infected grubs so that the infec- 
tion may not be seen, and yet exist. As to the 
method of treatment, it is varied, as some use 
salicylic acid, and others use phenol (carbolic 
acid); also camphor, powdered collee, dairy salt, 
and a preparation of salicylic acid, bi-carbonate of 
soda, dairy salt and soft water ; also thyme, sul- 
phuric acid, etc., and the " starvation plan.” It is 
evident that the disease yields very readily when 
properly treated. 
Taylor Centre, Mich. 
SPRING MANAGEMENT. 
By Allen Pringle. 
To get the bees through the spring is about as 
difficult a matter here as to get them through the 
winter. The British beekeeper, too, doubtless 
experiences some difficulty in this line. Our 
technical term for the trouble is “spring dwind- 
ling.” In these two unpleasant words is summed 
up much of the tribulation and loss of the Canadian 
apiarist. 
What is spring dwindling ? It is the more or 
less rapid “ shuttling off of the worker-bees in the 
spring till the number left is too small to keep 
the house and keep life in it. Then all is up. 
What arc the causes of spring dwindling? and 
what are the remedies ? It is not so easy to 
answer these questions as to put them. On both 
there are differences of opinion, but more agree- 
ment as to remedies than causes. I cannot agree 
to the proposition that spring dwindling is a 
disease, or even an abnormal condition. It is 
occasionally disease, or the result of disease — 
winter diarrhcea : but usually it isa purely natural 
and normal exit of the aged and worn-out bee 
