THOUSAND ANSWERS 95 
i. e., those showing no signs of foulbrood, if purchased in a lot 
of hives, part of which I suspected were infected? 
A. There is danger. Don’t use them unless you keep a close 
watch. 
Q. Are combs that have contained American foulbrood, and 
later filled with honey by a diseased colony, then extracted, safe 
to use again on healthy colonies over queen-excluders? 
A. No. Never use again combs which have been in a colony 
which had American foulbrood. 
Q. Are extracting-supcrs that have been used on hives in- 
fected with American foulbrood, after being extracted, safe to use 
on healthy colonies? 
A. Some say yes, some say no. I suspect that the truth is 
that sometimes the disease is thereby conveyed, and sometimes 
not. It will be the safe thing to avoid using them. 
Q. What is the best method to treat brood-combs so as to be 
doubly sure that there will be no chances of foulbrood getting 
into the apiary from those bought brood-combs? I have a chance 
to buy old combs. 
A. I don’t know of any way. At one time it was claimed 
that formaldehyde would disinfect them, but I think that is given 
up. Your only safe way is to buy them where you know there has 
been no disease. 
Q. Please tell us when we shake on foundation for foulbrood 
whether the frames should be new, or can we cut the old comb 
out clean and use the frames again? I don’t want to buy frames 
for 50 hives if it is unnecessary. 
A. Generally it is considered best to burn up the old frames, 
but when one has so large a number as you have I think it pays 
to clean them up and use again. At any rate, that is what I did 
with quite a number. After cutting out the combs, I put the 
frames into a big iron kettle holding half a barrel of water into 
which was put two pounds of concentrated lye. The water, of 
course, was heated, and the frames were kept in the kettle until 
all wax and glue was melted off. Then the frames were rinsed in 
cold water to get off the lye. 
Q. Is honey from a foulbroody colony fit for table use? I 
never heard of any foulbrood in this neighborhood and there are 
lots of bees here. 
A. If nice and clean in appearance it is all right. Foulbroody 
honey that is death to bees’ larvae is entirely wholesome for 
human beings. 
Q. After shaking one or more colonies of bees that had 
