MANN SPEC. COLL. PHI LU PS I SF 527 .K79 ■'■^' CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 085 660 789 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924085660789 FOUL BROOD: ITS ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT AND CURE. BY ALBERT R. KOHNKE, YOUN.GSTO'WJSr, 0. YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO: TOUTSGrSioyns publishing OOMPAN'T. 1883. ■ t/" Copyright, 1882, by Albert R. Kohnke. All rights reserved. PREFACE, Having been engaged in apiculture quite extensively ia Germany, and on a smaller scale in this country, I have been in the position to notice the sad havoc foul brood has worked, in Europe as well as in this country ; being also in the possession of extensive material, in the shape of essays, reports and manual extracts of day-books kept by bee-keepers engaged in curing this disease, fur- nished me by friends and acquaintances ; and being also aware that foul brood prevails more or less in almost every State' in the Union, I have ventured to ofEer the- bee-keeping public a concise method, delineated in these pages, by which they will be enabled success- fully to combat this dreadful malady. I have drawn on the experi- ence and experiments of the most noted scientists and apiarists of Germany, such as Professors Kolbe, Cech, Fischer, Preuss and Lamprecht, but especially Hilbert and Schoenfeld, to whom the bee-keeping fraternity of the whole world is indebted for their efforts and final success of curing foul brood, and to whom I (>Ser my sincetest thanks. THE AUTHOR GENERAL HISTORY OF FOUL BROOD, It is generally conooded that apiculture is an important factor in the economy of nature, assisting greatly in tlie fertilization of plants, without wliich tl.ey would hear no fruit; that is, seed. But besides this, the proceeds from a well- managed apiaiy very fre- quently are equal to, sometimes exceeding that of the same number of acres, as colonies are kept. Many good farmers and horticultur- ists are also extensjve bee-keepers, and quite often make more money out of their apiaries than out of the ground they till. This has induced many t;o niake apiculture their sole occupation, and, if well managed, has generally proven to be a success. But the api- arist has to contend wit,h many disasters which threaten to ruin his colonies, Chiefest among which is probably brood pest, generally called foul brood. This disease seems to Imve been known since bees were domesti- cated, having been mentioned by ancient wiiters on apiculture. . It will quite often ruin and annihilate the apiaries of extensive coun- tries in a very short time, if not stayed in its progress. To combat this pestilence different ineffective nostrum--, spices, tea and coffee were used, without success of course. Not before the investigal ions of men like Fischer, Hilbert, Lamp- recht, Preuss, Schoenfeld and others threw some light on the sub- ject as to the nature, cause and development of this malady, was it possible to discover a remedy and successfully combat this disease. Immediately after its discovery as being of a putrifactive nature caused by Bacteria, different antiseprics were tried, especially Phe- nol and Thymol. But these would either kill the bees if used in solution strong enough to destroy bacteria; or, if dilated so as to be harmless to bees, would not kill bacteria of foul brood. Not until salicylic acid had been discovered by Professor Kolbe as an -antiseptic, and recommended by others to try it in foul brood, was there a shadow of hope. Mr. Hilbert, whose apiary was affected with foul brood in its worst type, finally went to work and gave salicylic acid a severe 2 6 FOUL BROOD IN BEES. and thorough test ; and, after many failures, he discovered at last a method leading to success, ridding his apiary of disease entirely. But as yet he was the only one claiming success, and when he went to proclaim the same before the National Bee-keepers Association of Germany and Austria, he found few believers ; the more so, as others had — or paid they had— tried the remedy and failed, at the same time advising the use of otiier antiseptics better adapted to the purpose. But most or all of them used or recommended were so poisonous and of such a strong odor that the bees were either killed or left the hive, and nothing short of an inodorous and non- poisonous disinfectant would do, if such could be discovered. This was accomplished by Professor Kolbe, of Germany, who found in salicylic acid a substance po-^sessed of these properties. Mr. Hilbert, on being informed of these properties of salicylic acid, not only disinfected his hives, bees and comb, but mixed it in with honey, which he fed his diseased colonies, thus disinfecting his bees internally as well as externally. Tliough final success has been proven to be readily attainable, it has also been proven that it requires the utmost care, perseverance and intelligence to reach the desired goal. These quite a number of bee-keepers do not exercise, and, after a few superficial, careless trials with salicylic acid, give it up in disgust. They take into consideration only the cost of curing, objecting to buy good honey or sugar and medicine, to effect a cure internally as well as externally, thinking to rid them- selves of all further trouble by cremation. How futile this latter process proves to be they discover very soon, for one colony after another will be infected and succumb, until nothing is left but empty stands to tell the sorry tale of misfortune of their former occupants, and their owner's want of care, precaution and perse- verance — such desolate apiaries, as well as the surrounding coun- try, being entirely unfitted to begin anew for a long time after. Besides that, cremation of useful objects — ejwcially such as bees are — is barbarous, and betrays but a limited degree of intellect ; the more so, when proper remedies are known, to apply which the bee-keeper is too lazy and careless. It reminds one of the dark ages, and does not correspond exactly to our present ideas as to the study of the healing arts ; nor would such a disciple of cremation like tj be treated the same way by some humane M. D., under sim- ilar circumsl ances, to prevent the spreading of disease, like yellow fever, small pox, etc. If some should be narrow-minded enough to rejoin that we, as man, may dominate over animal creation and FOUL BROOD IN BEES. 7 protect our own interest, they forget entirely that their own body is as much an animal as the body of a horse or bee, and subject to the same general laws of contagion and decomposition. But even it the bee keeper exercises all care and patience, he may not succeed if he pursues methods of treatment which are ob- tained by general remarks or short essays only in bee papers or con- ventions. Some of the first trials with salicylic acid in 1875 failed, because the acid had been used in the form of a powder and con- centrated solutions to dust and wash the hive — the bees leaving the hive immediately after it had been introduced. So, in this coun- try, quite a number of bee-keepers claim to have tried the remedy without avail. Now, if they had given a short outline of the method chey pursued, their mistakes might have beep readily pointed out. Hence the assertions of bee-keepers to have found salicylic acid of no use, prove, if anything, that they have used the remedy without care and method ; for, as long as there are reliable and experienced bee keepers who are successful in this direction, assertions to the contrary prove nothing. Aside from the quantity of the acid employed, the quality is of as much importance. It must be absolutely pure. Another point to be observed is the proper solvent. It is well known that salicylic acid does not readily dissolve in water, but very much so in alcohol ; but alcohol of 95 per cent. —0.8157 spec. gr. — (for such should be used), costs 40 cts.. a pint ; in addition to this, the cost of salicylic acid, which is 50 cts. an ounce, seems to some bee-keepers expensive medicine ; and to make the acid soluble in water {cheap is the watchword), some* saving bee-keepers add another chemical to it, which tliey have heard has that desirable property, to-wit: to make the acid soluble. To attain this object, borax has been advised by some as the proper solvent in addition to water ; the more so, as it is possessed of the- same property as salicylic acid in destroying bacteria. A little knowledge of chemistry and medicine would have prevented such- mistakes. It is here the place, I think, to show the fallacy of that combination. I. It is well known that there are quite a number of remedies to arrest or prevent fermentation and putrifaction, as also the for- mation of animal or vegetable fungoid growth. To satisfy the ■curious, I will name a few of them: All mineral acids, wood vine- gar, salt, common vmegar, strong solution of sugar, arsenic, corro- sive sublimate, creosote, phen'^1, thymol, borax, as, also, salicylic acid. Each of these has its own sphere of application. Not one 8 FOUL BROOD IS BEES. of them may be used, under all circumstances, insuring success. Some are too poisonous to be used in septic diseases of the living animal organism ; others are ineffective in certsiiu diseases. Some of the less poisonous have been tried to cure foul brood without the least success; especially has that been the. case as to phenol and thymol, as, also, borax. II. It is also well known, especially to the medical profession, that acids and alkalies are incompatible ; that is, if one is given as a medicine, to produce a certain effect, as a general rule the other must be avoided. There are exceptions, of course, which may be stated thus: If the acid to be used as a medicine is very strong, a weak alkali may be permissible without interfering with the action of the medicine, and vice versa. III. It is also well known that chemicals used as remedies or medicine, which would, on mixing, exchange component parts, can not be given together, and should not be mixed. ISTow, what is borax? Answer: Biborate of soda ; that is, a chem- ical combination of two parts of bor'acio acid and one of soda. Those conversant with chemistry know that, in aqueous solutions, boracic acid is one of the weakest acids known, and, also, that soda is one of the strongest alkilies. ISTow, let us see what takes place on mixing these two chemicals, salicylic acid and borax. Salicylic acid decomposes the borax, to illustrate which I will subjoin the following diagram: ( biborate of ^ boracic acid free in solution. ^°'^^~ 1 Soda { Salicylic anid — - sa.licylatp, of soda. It will be seen by the above diagram, that, instead of having salicylic acid and borax in solution, we have boracic acid and sali- cylate of soda (or sodium). But it is well known that salicylate of sodium is entirely worthless as a disinfectant, which is true, not only of this chemical, but of all other salts of salicylic acid. The acid itself must be employed if a reliable disinfectant is desired, to corroborate which, I refer the reader to the article on Salicylic Acid in the Dispensatory of the United States, 1877, 14th Edition. It is quite a matter of course that attempts to cure foul brood by such a compound could not but be accompanied by entire failure. Those claiming to have been successful with it, probably never had a case of genuine foul brood. By employing the solutions I shall recommend, and by strictly observing all precautionary measures mentioned, the affected colo- FOUL BROOD IN BEES. 9 nies will be cnred, without, disturbing the bees too much, or driving them out of their hives by the use of obnoxious chemicals, nor will the bee-keeper be compelled to resort to burning his bees, hives, wtix, honey and implemeuts, and thus incur a double losti. But the capability of reproduction is so enormous w.ith this contagion, that its existence is made impossible only, if the process of disinfection is gone through with every six days until cured (ihree days would be preferable), to effect which it will require from three to hix weeks, according to the stage of the dise-ise and size of colony. That bee-keeper who has neither ihe time nor the ambiiion to spend money and work to persistently observe the method deline- ated in this pamphlet, will certainly make a failure of his weak attempts at curing his diseased stocks, and he must not blame Ihe method, but himself. It is his fault, if his a[)iary and the sur- rounding objects have the odor of decaying anini'od originated in apiaiies, excluding the idea of contagion. JSTow, if even one colony of an apiaiy lias been subject to one of these causes, and become diseased in consequence thereof, the disease will spread by conta- gion, infecting the whole apiary. 4th. Prevention being better than cure, it behooves a'careful apiarist to see that his bees are not exposed to any of the prinsary cause.-, if he can help it. Combs with brood should not be removed from the hive on cold and windy days. He should see that his bees are not in want of proper and sufficient food, honey as well as pollen. Especially will the want of pollen cau-se the bees and brood to die ; the more so, if they are actively engaged in brood rearing, because pollen contains the nitrogenous compounds absolutely necessary so build up the animal tissue. If pollen is wanting, he should furnish a substitute by feeding the bees flour. IE flour is fed outside the h.ive, the bees will not take any more than they are in actual need of ; hence, overdoing stimulative feeding is out of the question as regards that substitut:e. But; there are other sub- stances which contain albumen in excess, and if these are fed to a weak colony in the hive, will induce breading to such an extent that the bees are unable to feed all the brood properly, which, in spite of abundant food, causes the brood to die of starvation, and thereby causing the colony to be a first-class subject to the disease. Besides the above enumerated causes of foul brood in an apiary, there may be one more, viz.: a poor queen — that is to say, a queen's progeny may be so weak as not to have life enough to grow to ma- turity, but die when they are five, six and seven days old. In such a case a disinfectant will of course be of no avail, but the queen must be removed and killed ; the colony must be provided with' FOUL BROOD IN BEES. 11 means to raise a new queen, wbich is preferable to giving them a fertile queen, as the colony should be prevented from raising brood until hive and bees have been thoroughly disinfected. Queens have even been knos^n whose eggs would not hatch at all. Such cases are, of course, of very rare occurrence ; but it is best to mention them here, that bee-keepers who have a case of apparently incura- ble foul brood may be prepared to meet the same. TEEATMBNT OP FOUL BEOOD. A bee-keeper who does not discover foul brood before his nostrils remind him that something must be wrong with his bees, is not the proper person to treat the case ; for, most likely, the colony would be so far gone as not to pay for the trouble, and the best he could do would be to brimstone the bees late in the evening, when all are in ; burn everything except the hive, taking care .chat no bees can get to it before it is thoroughly disinfected. TO TEEA.T A COLONY WHICH IS BADLY DISEASED. If the colony is yet quite strong, but the brood nearly one-half or more diseased, disinfect the bees by spraying them with an atom- izer, with Solution No. 3, heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit ; put them into a new or well disinfected hive, on no more combs than I hey can cover well, removing also all parts of such comb as contain dead brood, and feed 85 CO of Solution No. 5 every day. Every three or four days the bees must be sprayed with Solution No. 3, If the colony is put on foundation' (don't put them on already built oat combs), in a fcTV days brood will appear, when the feed must be changed from No. 5 to No. 6 Solution. If during the honey bloom, bees will need no further assistance ; but if honey is scarce, they must be fed witfc good honey or sugar syrup, and a substitute for pollen provided. To prevent spread of the contagion, moisten the entrance of all the hives in the apiary every evening with Solution No. 2. TO-TEBAT A COLONY ONLY A LITTLE DISEASED. Gut out the comb containing decayed larvee. Disinfect the bees by spraying them with Solution No. 3, heated to 90 or .95 degrees Fahrenheit; do this on empty comb, not on their brood frames- Disinfect brood, honey and pollen by spraying them every three or four days with Solution No. 4. Put bees and frames in a new or well disinfected hive, and feed them every day 80 CO of Solution No. 6. 13 FOUL BROOD IX BEES. TO DISINFECT HIVES AND OTHER IMPLEMENT.^. Wush and rinse well in a warm solution (about 90 degrees Fahr- enheit) of No. 3, eveiything you lianrlle or touch,