You ask for my observations on foul brood regarding the cases
noted in the BEE JOURNAL. There are many who, I know, will
disagree with me, but nevertheless, it seemed to come from
no other source. The largest case of it was 25 colonies in
one apiary. Ever since the year 1873 they had been wintered
in the cellar, in a sort of room fitted up especially for
them. They were usually put in about Nov. 25, and taken out
about April 1st to the 20th, according to the season. This
receptacle was directly under the living room, which was
kept very warm. The bee-room was generally quite dry, and
towards spring would stand from 45° to 50°, which would let
the bees have from 60° to 80° in the hive, or perhaps 90°,
causing the cluster to spread, and there was always a good
supply of brood in the combs when taken from the cellar, and
generally a considerable number of young hatched bees. So far
everything was as good as could be asked for, and every good
bee-keeper will say this could not have anything to do with
foul brood; perhaps not.
These same hives, with more space and more surface of comb
than a 10 frame Langstroth hive gives, were put into the
cellar with all their combs in place, with a box 6 inches
deep below the hive, and another above filled with straw, or
with a top story filled with rags, old clothes and pieces of
carpet or straw. The full complement of combs was left in the
hives, regardless of the strength of the colonies, and they
were then set on their summer stands without using division
boards, or any contraction of combs. After setting out they
were generally fed liberally every night to induce breeding,
which is a good plan if properly handled, but in this case it
helped to breed the disease, and it did do it to the fullest
extent. Why? First, a small colony should not be given any
more combs than it can cover, either in summer or winter.
If the hive is too large, insert a division on one or both
sides; if on both sides, let one of them be at least half an
inch shallower than the hive, then if the numbers increase,
they can crowd outside of it.
Second, if they are wintered indoors, in a hive full of
combs, take away all you can before they are set out in the
spring, even if you have to feed to prevent starvation.
Third, if you do winter indoors on a full set of combs, do
not commence feeding regularly, to induce breeding, as soon
as set out, though it be the 25th of April or even the 1st of
May.
In the case mentioned the consequences were: In the weak
colonies some of the bees died in the combs and contracted
some moisture, consequently would mold. Some strong colonies
would do the same, but many of the dead bees would be thrown
down. The cellar had a drain 100 feet long, with a fall of 5
feet, to keep the cellar dry, and a ventilator 3 feet above
the house-sill outside, at the south. The ventilator opened
on warm days, consequently a draft of warm air, fire in the
room above, temperature in the bee-cellar raised, cluster
of bees spread, queen goes to laying, honey consumed, brood
reared and old bees wearing out; all of these conditions are
the requisites of good, strong, healthy colonies, and they
are just as surely the forerunners of first-class cases of
foul brood every time.
I know that 99 out of every 100 bee-keepers will differ
with me, but go through the colonies with me 10 or 15 days
after setting out on the summer stands; suppose in that time
we have had 2 or 3 good flying days; the feeding induced
the queen to lay more rapidly and forced the cluster to
spread; the eggs hatched into larvæ; on the pleasant days
the old bees flew out but forgot to fly in again, thus
diminishing the cluster; then there came 2 or 3 stormy days
in succession, cold and chilling; the cluster contracted
as well as diminished in numbers; the minute larvæ starved
and dead, and some, perhaps, that are advanced to capping;
another flying day, and their numbers are more reduced. The
dead bees in the combs putrefy, and you have for your pains a
first-class case of foul brood in the near future. Many will
shake their heads, but I saw the colonies, and in 3 years I
saw the 25 and their increase decreased to 17, the 17 and
their increase decreased to 9, the 9 down to 2, and the 2
went, in the spring of 1880, “where the woodbine twineth.”
Woodbury, Conn., Feb. 26, 1881.
For the American Bee Journal.
Early Importations of Italian Bees.