DECEMBER 1, 1915 



At the time of writing you I had made up 

 my mind that it was the dreaded Isle of 

 Wight disesase. The bees did not act as 

 they do wlien afflicted witli the so-called 

 paralysis. I cannot agree with some that 

 the two diseases are identical. The bees 

 are not swollen and elongated as in paraly- 

 sis, e.xcopt in very rare cases. Another 

 strange feature of the disease with us is 

 that it was not followed with dysentery — at 

 least none of the hives examined by us 

 showed it in any degree, although we had 

 cases reported to us. 



Xow I sincerely trust that Mr. H-errod is 

 wrong in his broad and sweeping statement 

 (page 57, 1914), "Now, any one with the 

 slightest experience of Isle of Wight disease 

 knows that, once stock is attacked, it is 

 doomed." If that statement is true then we 

 shall not have a hive of bees that will sur- 

 vive the winter, for exery hive in this sec- 

 tion has been more or less afflicted. It is 

 true they are still dying, but very slowly as 



compared to what they were in August and 

 September. 



In an article the- editor says, " The pre- 

 sumption is that the peculiar season — cold, 

 rainy,' and wet — has had something to do 

 with it." Let me say that this is the warm- 

 est season that we have experienced in the 

 twenty-seven years that we have lived on the 

 Sound, You further say, " We have never 

 heard of Nosema apis in this country." 

 Well, let it be hoped that it will never 

 reach you. 



It is my belief that we have a couple of 

 hives that are immune t this disease — that 

 is, very few bees have died in these hives. 

 If that is so, tlien we can restock from 

 them. 



What you say regarding the brood as 

 only neglected and starved brood may be 

 so; but scales are left in the cells as in 

 American foul brood. Ko odor arises, 

 though, from the dead brood. 



Seattle, Wash. 



WAS IT REAL HONEY -DEW? AN INTERESTING INCIDENT 



BY JAMES S. JOHNSON 



On the 6th of September I was attracted 

 to my apiary by an unusual roaring of the 

 bees befoi-e sunrise. I found them stoi'ing 

 honey vei-y rapidly. Thei'e were handfuls 

 of bees in front of each entrance ; and as 

 the sun came up they worked all the harder. 

 As this was something unusual, there being 

 no flora sufficient for such a flow, I began 

 to wonder what the nectar could be coming 

 from. I made a search, but could not find 

 the source, so I decided that they were get- 

 ting honey-dew, as I noticed some wasps, 

 flies, and hornets on poplar. 



The next morning the same thing occurred 

 again, though even more pronounced than 

 the daj' before. The bees were coming out 

 of the hives just as though some one had 

 kicked the side of the hive with his foot. 

 I could still see a good many stars, and 

 there was some fog, which made the bees 

 act queerly : but as the light was better and 

 the sun came up they became natural and 

 went about their business with a rush. 



In a short time the grass in front of the 

 entrances was covered with laden bees. I 

 caught one of them and pressed its side to 

 make the bee disgorge itself, and the honey 

 was water-white. I decided then that they 

 were not getting honey-dtw, and at once 

 began another search. I finally found that 

 they were working on what I call spotted- 

 oak trees. These trees are the rough and 

 scrubby oaks that grow high uji on the 

 hills. The bees were getting the nectar from 



the base of the buds. They did not work 

 on all the buds, but on eertran ones that 

 were on stems about a quarter of an inch 

 in length. I am not even sure that they w^ere 

 buds, but thei'e is a small opening in the 

 end that continuously secretes a clear sweet 

 liquid. I don't know whether to call it 

 nectar or sap, or Avhat. Unless this could 

 be called a blossom I suppose the liquid 

 would hardly be nectar. 



My bees are filling their combs full of 

 this stuff; all the queens are' laying, and 

 brood-rearing is in rapid progress. 



I am undecided as to whether this will 

 make suitable winter stores. If they don't 

 stop storing it the bees will soon have their 

 hives full. 



Langnau, Ky.. Sept. 13. 



[We sent the above very interesting letter 

 to Dr. Phillips, who, in turn, handed it to 

 the Forest Entomologist for attention. Mr. 

 Hopkins' reply follows: 



We have referred the specimens to our St)ecialist 

 in Forest Hymonoptera, Mr. S. A. Rohwer, who 

 states that on certain of the buds of the oaks sent 

 there were ffalls of one of the gall-making Cynipids, 

 probably referable to Netirotcrux versicxdxis (Bas- 

 sett). It is very probable that the sweet liquid 

 that the bees collected is a secretion from this gall 

 as there are a number of Cynipid galls of similar 

 construction which are known to secrete a sweet 

 liquid which attracts insects, especially ants, in great 

 abundance. Tliis is an extremely interesting and 

 unusual record. A. D. Hopkins, 



Forest Entomologist. 



Washington, D. C, Oct. 8. 



