7ht RURAL. NEW.YORKEL’. 
149 
Questions About Bees 
Attracting Wild Bees 
Is it against the law of New York 
State to set up empty beehives to catch 
wild bees on my own land, or on others’ 
property, with their consent? Would I 
have a right to use bait of any kind, such 
os old comb or oil of anise? n. d. 
I am sure that you would violate no 
law by setting up empty hives baited 
with comb on any land that you were 
privileged to enter. If, however, you 
were to set up such hives near a neigh¬ 
bor’s apiary with the hope of attracting 
his issuing swarms and making them your 
own, you would violate the ancient and 
still valid command, “Thou shalt not 
steal.” Such decoy hives are sometimes 
placed in trees or other places, which 
straying or wild swarms are likely to 
visit, and occasionally accomplish their 
object of attracting a roving band of 
honey gatherers. Combs in them should 
be spaced two inches apart, at least, to 
minimize the ravages of bee moths that 
are pretty sure to visit them. M. b. d. 
Ownership of Bee Tree 
What is the law, if any, in regard to 
the ownership of a bee tree, and what 
right have I to the honey if I find a bee 
tree on the property of another party? 
Saugerties, N. Y. a. j. C. 
The ownership of a tree does not be¬ 
come altered by the fact that a colony of 
bees has stored honey in it, though the 
bees are wild game. Custom has made 
the discoverer of a bee tree the rightful 
possessor of its contents, but he cannot, 
of course, legally enter upon the premises 
of another and destroy his property with¬ 
out consent. Unless the trees was so 
situated or of such value as to make its 
cutting real trespass, it is doubtful if 
the owner could recover damages from 
one who took the honey, but the legal, 
as well as neighborly, way would be to 
secure the consent of the owner of the 
premises upon which the tree is situated 
before using the ax. M. b. d. 
Foul Brood 
Could you tell me what will control 
foul brood, a disease, of bees? G. L. 
Ghent, N. Y. 
You will find in Farmers’ Bulletin 442 
“The Treatment of Bee Diseases,” ob¬ 
tainable upon application to the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.. 
a full discussion of the disease inquired 
about. The following description is taken 
from that bulletin : 
Foul brood is of two varieties, Euro¬ 
pean and American, though these names 
do not indicate that either variety is found 
exclusively in the countries mentioned. 
Both are diseases of the newly hatched 
brood in their cells, not of adult bees. 
They are infectious diseases, caused by 
germs that are carried from one colony 
to another in the yard, or from one lo¬ 
cality to another, usually in contaminated 
honey. This disease-laden honey may be 
carried by robber bees, or it may be se¬ 
cured by any bees which obtain access to 
contaminated stores anywhere. 
These two diseases are distinct, though 
having many similar characteristics, and 
both weaken or destroy colonies by pre¬ 
venting the development of new brood. 
They may be distinguished from each 
other by careful observation. American 
foul brood, or simply “foul brood.” shows 
itself by a brownish discoloration and 
shrinking of the larva in its cell, which 
discoloration and shrinking continue until 
a dark brown, coffee-colored appearance 
is reached and the larva finally becomes 
merely a dried scale adhering to the cell 
walls. If a toothpick is inserted into 
this mass and slowly withdrawn the con¬ 
tents of the cell may be drawn out into 
a fine thread, sometimes several inches 
long. This marked ropiness of the dis¬ 
eased brood is characteristic of American 
foul brood. Most of the larvae are at¬ 
tacked after being sealed in their cells, 
and the cell cappings which have not been 
removed by the bees are frequently found 
sunken and perforated. The odor of the 
disease is likened to that of heated glue. 
European foul brood usually attacks the 
larvae in their cells at an earlier stage 
of development than does the American 
variety, and is also most destructive dur¬ 
ing the Spring and early Summer. The 
discoloration is not black, but yellow or 
gray, a marked yellow color being char¬ 
acteristic of the disease. The dead larvae 
appear as moist, collapsed masses having 
the appearance of being melted in their 
cells. The dried scales of the final stage 
of this disease, unlike those found in 
American foul brood, do not adhere to 
the cell walls, but are easily removed. 
While some ropiness of the decaying mass 
may be present, it is not as marked as it 
is in the American variety. The odor is 
described as sour, reminding one of yeast 
fermentation. 
The standard treatment of these dis¬ 
eases is known as “shaking.” It consists, 
briefly, in shaking the bees from their 
diseased combs into a new, clean hive 
fitted up with foundation starters in the 
frames. In the process of rebuilding their 
brood combs in these new hives any dis¬ 
eased honey carried over by the bees will 
be consumed, and if access to their old 
stores is absolutely prevented, the disease 
will seldom be perpetuated. M. B. D. 
Work begins tomorrow morning on the 
water and light system I’ve arranged 
for your farm. 
You know my plan’s all right, Jim, 
because I and every other representa¬ 
tive of the Milwaukee Air Power Pump 
Co. have to take a regular course on the 
water and electric light system. 
You came to me thinking the Mil¬ 
waukee system would cost too much. 
But you had an open mind, ready to 
be convinced by good reasons. I con¬ 
vinced you that this system, instead of 
being costly, would increase the value 
of your farm, besides making more 
money for you. 
Here’s how Fve fixed your [engine so 
that it runs your water system, electric 
lighting plant, feed grinder, washing 
machine and cream separator. 
Here’s how you’ll have hot and cold 
well and cistern water in your kitchen 
and’bathroom; here’s where you’ll have 
good, fresh drinking water; here in 
> our barn, there will be water for your 
cows. Here will be the flushing closet, 
and here you see where you’ll have 
electric light in all your buildings. 
It’s because Pm carefully trained that 
Pm able to install this system that will 
make your farm worth more. 
* * * * 
If you don't know who is our repre¬ 
sentative in your county, write us; we’ll 
tell you. 
MILWAUKEE AIR POWER PUMP CO., 863 3rd St., Milwaukee, Wis. 
n,. 1 immui.il 
EITHER 
OR 
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Ditching and Soil 
Washing Problems Solved 
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Farm 
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