European Foul-brood Bee Disease. 245 



EUROPEAN FOUL-BROOD BEE DISEASE. 



By C. P. TjOunsbuky, B.Sc, Chief, Division of P^ntonioloov 



Prevalence of the Disease. 



The existence of European foul-brood in the Union was officially 

 announced in De])artnient of Ag-riculture Bulletin Xo. 10. 1918. At 

 the time of the announcement Mr. A. -T. Attridi>e, of the Division of 

 Entomolojry, was about to visit various localities in the four Provinces 

 to deteiniiue whether or not the disease Mas of wide occurrence and 

 to make observations bearing: on its importance. Mr. Attridge's 

 tour had to be greatly curtailed owino- to the pandemic that swept 

 South Africa at the time, and it has not seemed worth while since 

 to continue with tlie inspection. He was unable to visit the south- 

 eastern and southci'n districts of the Cape as had been i)lanned, but 

 it does not seein ]irol)able that the conditions prevailing' in those 

 parts are much bcttei' oi- worse in respect of bee diseases than were 

 foiHul to prevail elsewheie. He visited and inspected apiaries in and 

 near Potchefstroom, Tohannesburg", Pretoria, Pustenburg:, Pieter- 

 maritzburg-, Durban. Bloemfontein, and Queenstown ; and in one or 

 more of the apiaries at or near each of these centres he foinid diseased 

 larvae which, by subsequent miscroscojnc examination, the writer 

 became satisfied suffeied from European foul-brood. An iHihealthy 

 or dead larva here and tliere in a comb was found in the majority of 

 colonies, but there were only a few much drseased colonies, and more 

 often than otherwise in these exceptional cases +he trouble present 

 appeared to be entirely apart from foul-brood. The sporadic uu- 

 liealthy larvae were in many instances victims of foul-brood, while 

 (juite as commonly it was decided that the disease named sacbrood 

 was the affliction and in other cases what the trouble was remained 

 undecided. The most pronounced cases of foul-brood were in apiaries 

 of experienced and relatively well-informed bee-men who were 

 incredulous when they were told the disease was present. As the 

 outcome of the inspection I have come to the conclusion that 

 European foul-brood occurs ])ractically all over the country, but 

 that it is exceptional for it to ravagv colonies seriously. Before 

 Mr. Attridg-e went on the tour we knew the disease in the Malmes- 

 biH'y, Cape, Stellenbostdi, Paarl. and Caledon Districts, and we have 

 since obtained ])ositive evidence of an outbreak near St(Mkstroom, 

 Ca]ie Province. 



CeKI ATNTV OF THE TnENTIFICATIOX. 



Tile disease was first broug-ht to official notice in South Africa 

 tliroug'h an extensive outbreak in the Berg" liiver-Hopefield area of 

 the Malmesbury District late in 1917. Material was then sent to the 

 U.S.A. Bureau of Entomology to determine if the conclusion that 



