96 
DR. MILLER'S 
American foulbrood should the smoker and all tools used be dis- 
infected? If so, how? I put the smoker, gloves, veil, etc., in a 
jar and poured on them lots of gasoline, then I covered all with 
many sacks, weighted them down, and left them this way for one 
week. Do you think this will be sufficient? The gasoline was 
still strong and would burn vigorously after one week. 
A. I don’t believe gasoline kills the spores, and so I doubt its 
being an effective disinfectant. A solution of carbolic acid is used 
by some. Even carbolic acid does not destroy the spores, and I 
am a little bit doubtful of the need of anything more than soap 
and water, only so that any remains of the disease may be re- 
moved. 
Q. I have 40 colonies of bees with American foulbrood. I 
would like to treat them in the spring. Would it be safe to give 
them the foulbrood honey after melting the combs, or would I 
have to boil it? 
A. \ ou must boil it. If you boil it without any water, the 
outer part will burn while the center is not heated enough to 
make it safe. So add water, perhaps half as much water £s honey, 
slowly heating at first until all is thoroughly melted, and then 
bring it to a boil and keep it there for at least fifteen minutes. 
Q. Is the wax worth rendering out of the combs of a foul- 
broody colony, or would it still contain the microbes? 
A. The wax is considered all right. 
Q. More than once in convention reports, I have read where 
it was directly stated or intimated that bees do not have foul- 
brood in trees, buildings, etc., and now A. W. Smyth, in an ex- 
tract from Irish Bee Journal, says: “No one has found foulbrood 
in bees * * * in any home not purposely made for them.” I 
should like to know on what this common belief is founded. If 
this is the rule, I know of at least one exception, as I took a 
colony of bees from a house, which colony had European foul- 
brood and I cannot see any reason why such a home for bees 
should be exempt from the disease. 
A. I do not think that the opinion prevails on this side of the 
water that bees never have foulbrood “in any home not purposely 
made for them.” Indeed it has been urged that one reason why 
it was so difficult to get rid of foulbrood was because of diseased 
wild colonies. Why should not a wild colony be exposed to pre- 
cisely the same dangers as one in a Langstroth hive? Your one 
case is enough to prove that bees may have foulbrood in a home 
not specially prepared for them. 
Foulbrood, European. — Q. What is the color of European 
foulbrood? 
