THE 
Bustralian Beekeepers' 
JQUKNALt, 
Vol. IY. — No. 1.] JANUARY, 1890. [Price 6d. 
(Editorial. 
BEE GOSSIP. 
Foul Brood Rampant. — From all quarters in 
Victoria comes the same story, “ disease among 
the bees,” “ bees all dying or dead. ” Experienced 
beekeepers on enquiry and examination find in 
almost every instance that the cause of the trouble 
is Foul Brood in its most destructive form. We 
hear of it in Gippsland, on the Murray, to the 
eastward, the westward, and also near home, 
it almost threatens the apicultural industry with 
destruction, and at all events calls for some decided 
and vigorous action. 
The great difficulty in the matter is the ignor- 
ance existing among most box hive keepers as to 
the nature and danger of the disease, indeed as to 
its very existence. If the bees die off, they say it 
is “moth or something,” and the depopulated 
hives with their remaining stores are left to be 
robbed by whatsoever bees may come, and carry 
pestilence broadcast to other apiaries, and to the 
homes of wild bees in the hollow trees. 
In some cases we are sorry to hear that bee- 
keepers losing their stocks by disease, refuse any 
help or interference on the part of expert apicul- 
turists, saying “they have kept bees for twenty 
years, and don’t want to be taught anything,” and 
as an instance of another form this ignorance takes 
we would direct the attention of our readers to a 
letter from Mr. Webb, of Warragul in this issue. 
Now if an ignorant and obstinate sheep or cattle 
keeper were to get scab, pleuro-pneumonia, or 
anthrax among his stock, endangering the stock 
of his neighbours, he would be compelled by law 
to take steps to prevent the disease from spreading 
and would be made to pay for any damage done 
to other people’s cattle or sheep. It is a pity that 
bees in this colony are not reckoned as stock, or 
that a special law has not been enacted to deal 
with this contagious disease in bees, as is the case 
in America and in our sister colony, South Aus- 
tralia. As things are at present we are helpless 
against the obstructive ignorance which meets us 
at every turn, as insurmountable as in the case of 
the Chinaman at Warragul. We think beekeepers 
should meet together in various localities where 
the disease is rife and deal with the subject at 
ence. In many cases a local combination would 
suffice to establish a disinfection of the district, 
and some kind of quarantine, but probably the 
most effective method would be a combination of 
all modern and intelligent beekeepers with the 
view of obtaining the enactment of some law to 
deal with the matter. 
The question will arise as to what can be done 
by law, and how can any law of the kind be 
administered? As far as our opinion goes we are 
inclined to believe that a law empowering the 
formation of district beekeepers’ protective asso- 
ciations, somewhat analogous to local boards of 
health, who shall be able to obtain power to cause 
to be examined, by appointed experts, any stocks 
of bees within their districts, either known or sup- 
posed to be affected with contagious disease, and 
where such disease is found to exist shall be 
empowered to call upon the owner to destroy, or 
submit for disinfection all such stocks of bees, and 
in case of refusal shall, if the existence of the 
disease be proved to the satisfaction of the local 
magistrates, obtain an order of the Court to 
destroy or disinfect all affected hives. Some such 
arrangement as this, we think, would be better 
than having travelling inspectors or other officers 
and would leave the putting the law in motion to 
those most interested in stamping out this very 
destructive disease. 
One great objection to the enactment of new 
laws is the difficulty and often great cost of 
administering them, but the method we have sug- 
gested, we think, in a great measure overcomes 
these difficulties. 
Ti-ie Season. — A lthough we received gloomy 
news from most parts of the country as to the 
scantiness of the early honey flower, more cheer- 
ful accounts are now coming in, and were it not 
for the unfortunate prevalence of foul brood it is 
quite likely we should have the pleasure of record- 
