544 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



WORK ON BEE DISEASES. 



The vrork of the past fiscal year on bee diseases lias demonstrated 

 more clearly than liefore that this is the most important subject before 

 the bee keepers of the country. The study of the bacteria of the 

 two infectious bee diseases has been continued, with especial atten- 

 tion to the amount of heat and chemical disinfection necessary to 

 destroy the causative organisms. The results are of great value in 

 prescril)ing methods of disinfecting contaminated material. The 

 drug treatments advocated by European writers have been carefully 

 tested, and it has been found that none of the drugs is of any value 

 in treating American foul brood, even aggravating the condition in 

 some cases. A large amount of work has been done in the effort to 

 establish the cause of European foul brood. Repeated efforts to 

 produce the disease by giving colonies of bees the organisms supposed 

 to be the cause, namely Bacillus alvci and Streptococcus apis, have 

 been uniformly unsuccessful. The results of the work so far carried 

 on show only that the disease can be transmitted by feeding infected 

 material. Other organisms found in diseased individuals are being 

 studied, and new media are being tried. The disease responds to 

 the treatment recommended for American foul brood, but, until the 

 cause is ascertained, little can be done further on the remedial side. 



In the last report it was stated that the effort to learn the distribu- 

 tion of bee diseases in the country would be completed by the close 

 of 1909, but it has been found that these diseases are much more wide- 

 spread than was supposed, and it will take at least one more sum- 

 mer to make the work complete enough for record. Samples of dead 

 brood suspected of disease have been obtained from all parts of the 

 United States, and during the past fiscal year 620 samples were 

 examined, as against 280 the previous year. The data obtained in 

 this study of distribution are utilized mainl}^ in sending a practical 

 circular on the treatment of brood diseases to all the bee keepers in 

 infected districts whose names can be obtained. Every effort is made 

 to inform the bee keepers in the infested territory how to combat the 

 maladies. This information is also available for use by bee keepers 

 who are applying for the passage of state laws for the inspection of 

 apiaries, since it indicates the need of such legislation. 



It has been found that the treatment recommended by the Bureau 

 can be carried out successfully, not only with no financial loss, but 

 often with an actual increase in returns if done in time. 



STUDIES OF THE STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BEE. 



Work on the structure and development of the bee, which was 

 announced in the last annual report, was completed during the year 

 in so far as the anatomy of the bee is concerned, and the results were 

 published in a technical bulletin. A large number of errors of 

 former observers have been corrected in this bulletin. Accurate in- 

 formation concerning bee anatomy is necessary in many lines of 

 apicultural investigation, especially in investigating the physiology 

 and behavior of bees, these lines being of importance in practical 

 manipulation. 



Work on the development of the egg stage of the bee has been 

 conducted during the past year. 



