164 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 



1900 diseased colonies numbering 7253 

 were found (valued at perhaps $40,000), 

 it is evident that the disease was spread- 

 ing with great rapidity, and the State 

 of New York made a good investment 

 in establishing inspection whereby the 

 percentage of diseased colonies was 

 forced down from 23.9 in 1900 to 3.6 in 

 1905. About that time other outbreaks 

 occurred, but the percent of colonies 

 diseased has remained low. 



Perhaps a better but less definite in- 

 dication of the way in which, through 

 inspection and education, the epidemic 

 has been turned to the advantage of 

 the beekeepers is in a comparison of 

 past and present conditions in the 

 Mohawk Valley. It appears that be- 

 fore the outbreak of European foul- 

 brood 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 care- 

 less bee-keeper, and it is unsafe to at- 

 tempt too much along that line, but 

 through the efforts of the inspectors 

 and other educational sources, the care- 

 ful 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 form- 

 erly, but undoubtedly there are more 

 colonies of bees and the average an- 

 nual crop is larger than before the 

 epidemic. The epidemic has thus been 

 turned to an actual benefit to the in- 

 dustry through inspection. 



In northwestern Indiana, European 

 foulbrood is prevalent, and probably 

 has been present for many years. In 

 the eastern portion of the State, Ameri- 

 can 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 apia- 

 ries in the European foulbrood terri- 

 tory were found in which every colony 

 was diseased. 



In 1909 apiary inspection was insti- 

 tuted in Indiana under the supervision 

 of the State Entomologist. Of the 6036 

 colonies examined that year 23.7 per- 

 cent were diseased, and in Porter 

 county 66.5 percent of all colonies in- 

 spected had European foulbrood. The 

 highest record for the prevalence of 

 American foulbrood so far recorded is 

 for Randolph Co., Ind., in 1910, where 

 83.5 percent of the 30OO colonies exam- 

 ined were diseased or dead. 



In this State, not only is the percent- 

 age of diseased colonies being reduced 

 but the beekeepers are finding out what 

 their trouble actually is, and beekeep- 

 ing conditions are rapidly improving. 

 It will take strenuous and continued 

 inspection and encouragement to put 

 the business on the footing which it 

 should occupy, but the short time so 

 far spent in the work shows that here, 

 too, the epidemics may ultimately be 

 instrumental in making better beekeep- 

 ers and thereby be an indirect benefit. 

 The data are not at hand, but Mr. D. 

 W. Erbaugh is responsible for the 

 statement that at present American 

 foulbrood is scarce and the beekeepers 

 in that territory are increasing their 

 apiaries and finding beekeeping profit- 

 able. This is the most striking result 

 of the Indiana inspection, even though 



no work was done there between 1910 

 and 1916. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. E. G. 

 Carr, of the New Jersey inspection ser- 

 vice, I am able to give data concerning 

 the percentage of infection in Salem, 

 Cumberland and Cape May counties, 

 N. J., 1913 and 1915. 



In this territory in 1913. there was 

 European foulbrood in 30 2 percent of 

 all apiaries inspected, and American 

 foulbrood in 3 8 percent. In 1915 no 

 American foulbrood is recorded, and 

 European foulbrood was found in 25.9 



The Result of Good Beekeepng in 

 Maine— Home of O. B. Griffin 



percent of the apiaries. Of course, the 

 percent of apiaries showing the dis- 

 ease cannot be decreased as rapidly as 

 the percent of infected colonies. Dur- 

 ing the two years the number of colo- 

 nies increased from 836 to 1136, a gain 

 of 35 percent, which is the true test of 

 efficiency. The plan in New Jersey is 

 to cover a county as completely as 

 possible before leaving it. 



In Connecticut, in 1910, there were 

 inspected 1595 colonies, of which 49.6 

 percent were diseased, and disease was 

 found in 76 percent of the apiaries. 

 Without giving the data for the inter- 

 vening years, it may simply be recorded 

 that the records for 1916 show 3898 

 colonies inspected, of which 7.05 per- 

 cent showed European foulbrood, and 

 0.15 percent showed American foul- 



brood. European foulbrood was found 

 in 18.8 percent of the apiaries and 

 American foulbrood in 1.07 percent. 



Obviously changes in inspection 

 policy and the routine methods of the 

 work will influence these figures. For 

 example, in Connecticut, inspection 

 was formerly done only on complaint, 

 and this restriction has been removed. 

 However, from the figure given for 

 these four States there can be no doubt 

 of the economic value of the apiary 

 inspection. 



Every effort should be made to im- 

 prove the inspection service, and this 

 can perhaps best be done by publica- 

 tion of the results of inspection. The 

 inspection must also be improved by 

 discontinuing, so far as possible, the 

 payment of inspectors only for days 

 spent in the work, which too often 

 means for days when they are not 

 otherwise occupied. 



The title chosen for this paper may 

 be assumed to be covered by the type 

 of data given, but at this opportunity 

 it may be well to enlarge the discussion 

 by way of pointing out a method of 

 overcoming some present defects. As 

 is well known, the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology has during the year begun ex- 

 tension work in beekeeping, in co- 

 operation with the regular extension 

 offices. So far this work is confined to 

 the southern States. When it is con- 

 sidered that the value of inspection 

 comes chiefly from the efficiency of the 

 educational feature of the work, it will 

 be seen that, in a sense, extension work 

 is but a continuation of what has been 

 done for years in some States. How- 

 ever, an extension worker is freed 

 from the odium of police power, which 

 is at times a detriment to the inspec- 

 tion work. 



Since in perhaps half the States the 

 apiary inspection is below its possible 

 efficiency, and, since without unwar- 

 ranted interference this cannot well be 

 changed, except by the beekeepers of 

 the State who often fail to recognize 

 the poor quality of the work, it is per- 

 tinent to suggest th it extension work 

 should replace at least the incompetent 



One does not associate extensive beekeeping with the State of Maine. Yet there are many 

 apiaries there, The above is one of the apiaries of O. B. Griffin, of Caribou 



