r)30 



STATE BOARD OF AaRTCULTlTRR. 



There is usually little odor in European foul brood, but sometimes a 

 sour odor is present, Avhich reminds one of yeast fermentation. This 

 disease attacks drone and queen larvae* almost as quickly as those of 

 the workers." 



Fig. 4. European foul brood: a, j, k, normal sealed cells; h, c, d, c, g, i, I, m, v, p, o, 

 larvae affected by disease; r, normal larva at age attacked by disease; f, h, n, o, dried down 

 larvae or scales. Three times natural size. From Farmers* Bulletin 442, U. S. Dept. of 

 Agr., Bureau of Entomology. 



^'European foul brood is more destructive during the spring and early 

 summer than at other times, often entirely disappearing during late 

 summer and autumn, or during a heavy honey flow. Italian bees seem 

 to be better able to resist the ravages of this disease than any other 

 race. The disease at times spreads with startling rapidity and is most 

 destructive. Where it is prevalent a considerably larger percentage of 

 colonies is affected than is usual for American foul brood. This disease 

 is very variable in its symptoms and other manifestations and is often 

 a puzzle to the beekeeper." 



METHODS OF SPREAD. 



''Both American foul brood and European foul brood spread from col- 

 ony to colony and from apiary to apiary in much the same way. The 

 common means of carrying the virus is in honey which has become con- 

 taminated. The disease may be carried when bees rob a hive in which 

 a colony has died of disease or may be transmitted by the use of honey 

 from diseased colonies for feeding bees. It is not always necessary that 



* The tendency of this disea.se to attack queen larvae is a serious drawback in treatment. 

 Frequently the bees of a diseased colony attempt to supersede their queen, but the larvae 

 in the queen cells often die, leaving the colony hopelessly queenless. The colony is thus 

 depleted very rapidly. 



