6o 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Jan., 1910. 



In the smears made from the chyle stomach of the unhealthy bees no 

 organisms resembling the above were found, although the examination 

 revealed the presence of a mass of small oval bodies resembling the spores 

 of a mucor, or the cells of a form of vagrant yeast. At first some 

 significance was placed on this discovery, but when it was found that the 

 stomach contents of the normal bees occasionally contain similar cells, it 

 was not looked upon as being the cause of the disease ; however, on find- 

 ing that the samples of thin honey taken from diseased hives, forwarded to 

 the laboratory for analvsis, contained cells somewhat resembling those found 

 in the chyle stomach of the Ijees, especiallv in a honey from the Great Wes 

 tern district where there had been heavy losses, it was concluded that there 

 was possibly a connection between the cells present in the thin honey and 

 those found in the chyle stomachs of the bees giving rise to fermentative 

 changes which would probabh' account for the mortality. It will be seen 

 from the subjoined analysis of the honey by Mr. E. R. C. Peters of this 

 laboratory, that the thin honey, having a large amount of moisture, and a 

 high nitrogen content, renders it a suitable medium for the growth of 

 fungoid organisms (Mucors, Yeast, etc). 



SMEAR PREPARATION FROM THE CHYLE STOMACH OF A DISEASED BEE, 

 SHOWING SPORES X 3OO. 



There may be something in the opinion, which is said to prevail almost 

 without exception amongst apiarists, that the consumption by the bees of 

 nectar from iron bark trees which are in bloom from April to October, 

 contains something objectionable as they are entirely ignored by bees, pro- 

 vided other trees are in flower. The honey gathered from these eucalypts 

 may possibly contain a higher percentage of nitrogen, thus rendering the 

 honey derived from this source a suitable medium for the growth of 

 fermentative organisms. 



Cultures from each of the different honeys were made on agar con- 

 taining 2 per cent, of glucose with the following result: — 

 No. 1 sample ... ... .. Some yeast colonies. 



2 .. ... .. ... Numerous 



A few yeast only. 



Nil. 



