206 * JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 10 



conditions in the Mohawk Valley. It appears that before the out- 

 break of European foulbrood there were comparatively few extensive 

 beekeepers in the valley and many uninformed and indifferent small 

 holders. No inspection or educational system yet devised can save 

 the careless beekeeper and it is unsafe to attempt too much along that 

 line, but through the efforts of the inspectors and other educational 

 sources, the careful beekeepers and those who would make an effort 

 to clean up the disease were instructed in the diagnosis and treatment, 

 so that today they have little fear of European foulbrood. There are 

 probably fewer beekeepers than formerly but undoubtedly there are 

 more colonies of bees and the average annual crop is larger than before 

 the epidemic. The epidemic has thus been turned to an actual benefit 

 to the industry through inspection. 



In northwestern Indiana, European foulbrood is prevalent and has 

 probably been present for many years. In the eastern portion of the 

 state, American foulbrood is abundant and has caused enormous losses. 

 On a brief trip of inspection, which the author took with Mr. George 

 S. Demuth, then chief apiary inspector, but now in the Bureau of 

 Entomology, several apiaries in the European foulbrood territory 

 were found in which every colony was diseased. 



In 1909 apiary inspection was instituted in Indiana under the 

 supervision of the state entomologist. Of the 6,036 colonies examined 

 that year 23.7 per cent were diseased and in Porter County 66.5 per 

 cent of all colonies inspected had European foulbrood. The highest 

 record for the prevalence of American foulbrood so far recorded is for 

 Randolph County, Indiana, in 1910, where 83.5 per cent of the 3,000 

 colonies examined were diseased or dead. 



To determine the results obtained through inspection, Mr. Demuth 

 has kindly drawn up the accompanying table from part of the Indiana 

 inspection records for the years 1909, 1910 and 1911, when he was 

 doing the inspection. Counties were selected where inspection had 

 been carried on in two successive seasons, and separate counts were 

 made of those apiaries which were reinspected the second season. 

 The revisited apiaries were usually those owned by beekeepers who, 

 in the judgment of the inspector, were probably most in need of assist- 

 ance and stimulation. 



It may not be entirely clear why an entire county should show a 

 decrease in the percentage of diseased colonies when only a part of the 

 beekeepers had been visited, as was the case. This is doubtless due to 

 the fact that the instructions of the inspector have been passed on to 

 other beekeepers, indicating that the benefits of inspection are wider 

 than might at first appear. It is also gratifying to see that in the rein- 

 spected apiaries there is usually a gain in the number of colonies amount- 



