lo March, 1910.] Bee Mortality. 149 



BEE MORTALITY. 



R. Beuhiie, President, Victorian Apiarists' Association. 



The mortalitv of bees in apiaries along the eastern base of the 

 GrampianS; which was referred to in the January issue of the Journal, 

 continued for a short time after my inspection of the affected apiaries. 

 Since then, I have received a report from Mr. Holden, Secretary of the 

 Stawell Apiarists' Association, which includes many apiaries I was unable 

 to visit. It shows that out of a total of 1,783 colonies of bees, 996 

 succumbed. The total number of colonies which went into winter includes 

 over 100 colonies in the Victoria Valley where no losses were experienced. 

 Deducting these from the total, the actual loss in apiaries affected amounts 

 to 59 per cent, of the original number of stocks. But, as many of the 

 surviving colonies had dwindled away tO' the minimum number of bees 

 which is essential to recovery, I estimate the loss of bee life in the 

 apiaries affected at 80 per cent. 



The investigation as to the cause or causes of these enormous losses, 

 which appear to occur at intervals of some years, has not proceeded far 

 enough yet to definitely connect them with either Nosema apis or Bacillus 

 pestiformis apis. In the case of both of these diseases, there are certain 

 well delined symptoms which are absent in bees disappearing as those 

 in the Stawell district did. 



Microscopical examination of bees from different apiaries in Victoria, 

 carried out by Messrs. C. A. Price and O. Willgerodt, has certainly 

 proved the presence of Nosema apis spores in the chyle stomach of bees, 

 showing either symptoms of bee paralysis or an absence of that robust 

 and well-groomed appearence which the specialist bee-keeper associates 

 with a thriftv condition of his stocks. But these symptoms have been 

 known in Victoria for at least fifteen vears and re-queening colonies so 

 affected with a queen of a different (resistant) strain, together with 

 replacing the old brood combs, has generally proved effective in eliminating 

 the disease. On the other hand, there is reliable information available 

 that a wholesale disappearance of bees without showing any symptoms 

 of disease occurred as far back as 1872 in Central Victoria, long before 

 the advent of Italian bees and of the frame hive. While colonies affected 

 with disease are generallv on the verge of starvation during a dearth of 

 nectar and always less profitable, even in a good honey flow, it was the 

 colonies yielding the best returns which disappeared during the recent 

 epidemic in the Stawell district. 



In view of the heavy losses sustained, bee-keepers look anxiously for- 

 ward to a solution of the problem. The in\estigation on scientific lines 

 being, as yet, in the initial stage, any means employed to prevent the 

 recurrence of losses can be based only on the facts as they present them- 

 selves at present. Consideration must, however, be given to the possibility 

 that this mysterious mortality may eventually be connected with Nosema 

 apis, or proved to be another disease due to special bacteria, or merely 

 the result of the consumption of food unsuitable under the prevailing 

 atmospheric conditions. 



In visiting the various apiaries I repeatedly found that two distinct 

 lots of bees, in one instance both owned by the same bee-keeper but treated 

 differently during the autumn months, showed totally dissimilar results. 

 The best results were obtained with colonies which weie extracted late in 



