62 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [\''ol. 9 



of the bees and by various flies, in quest of honey dew, may constitute 

 a chain, the significance of which we can only conjecture at present; 

 but, if the chain can be proved, we may possibly possess the key to 

 blight control; at all events, to a more effective control than we have at 

 present. 



yin. T. J. Headlee: I would hke to ask why neutral agar was 

 used? 



Mr. H. a. -Gossard: The technical part of the bacteriological 

 work was done by Mr, R. C. Walton formerly of the Pennsylvania 

 Chestnut Blight Commission. The chief purpose was to isolate the 

 organism so as to obtain a pure culture and have it ready for use. 



Mr. T. J. Headlee: Is it likely that this method would increase 

 the virility of the organisms? 



]Mr. H. a. Gossard: I cannot answer that question. 



]\Ir. E. F. Phillips: Is it assumed from Mr. Gossard's paper that 

 honey bees carry out honey after it has been carried into the hive? 



Mr. H. a. Gossard : What we suspect is that the bees, in working 

 over the honey at night which they have gathered in the dajiiime 

 as infected nectar, become contaminated, the germs clinging to their 

 mouthparts and possibly to their feet and, if so, the question is, will 

 the germs remain virulent during the next one or two days. 



These were the questions we were trjdng to solve. We assume, as 

 a matter of course, that some honey will cling to their mouths and 

 perhaps to their feet and hairs. 



Mr. E. F. Phillips: The amount of acid in honey is very small. 

 I should not suspect for one moment that the blight organisms would 

 be killed by the action of this acid. In the case of certain brood 

 diseases, the causal organisms remain for years in honey. 



Honey is a fine medium for the preservation of anj' substance, par- 

 ticularly any bacterial organism. While it is suitable for the preserva- 

 tion of any material I do not see how these facts have any bearing 

 on the pear blight situation for it must first be shown that honey 

 actually becomes contaminated. 



Mr. W. a. Riley: The question came up as I understand it 

 regarding the spreading of germs from natural honey. 



Mr. H. a. Gossard: No. We made a number of inoculations 

 and cultivated from them in order to prove the possibility of natural 

 honey preserving the germs for a considerable period. 



Mr. W. a. Riley: As suggested by Dr. Philhps I would hke to 

 know as to whether these germs would pass through the alimentary 

 canal of the bee or whether they might live in the bee. I am curious 



