28C 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1919 



in appearance. It forms under favorable 

 conditions for its active growth a small oval 

 resistant body, called a spore, which resists 

 drying and high temperatures. After kill- 

 ing the larva or pupa this germ decomposes 

 the dead larvae in a peculiar manner, leav- 

 ing the trachea and chitinous parts intact 

 and making a gluey substance of the soft 

 parts. This gives the characteristic slimi- 

 ness or ropiness and, later on, adherence of 

 the scale to the cell wall. The glue-pot, or 

 as Mr. Sturtevant says, fish-glue odor, is also 

 quite characteristic. However, there may be 

 stages which have heretofore been insuffi- 

 ciently described where the larvag may not 

 have been dead long enough to have develop- 

 ed the characteristic ropiness and adherence 

 to the cell wall. At this stage the partly 

 dried-down mass may not have even the 

 characteristic color nor adhere to the cell 

 wall, leading to the belief that it may be 

 European. 



The dead larva of European in any unseal- 

 ed cell can usually be distinguished from 

 that of American in unsealed cells by the 

 abnormal position which it assumes. The 

 former may be coiled in the bottom of the 

 cell, or may be extended somewhat diagon- 

 ally in the cell. A careful examination will 

 show several of the larvae twisted like long- 

 drawn-out corkscrews, that is, the larva 

 twisted to what we call a half turn. 



There is never any of the corkscrew ap- 

 pearance with American. It is scarcely 

 ever (if ever) coiled in the bottom of the 

 cell. Death does not take place until the 

 larva is stretched out, or after it is sealed. 



In the case of European foul brood there 

 are different conditions The germ BnciUia^ 



l;liit(iit, causing this disease, does not form 

 these resistant spores. It also seems to be 

 less active in the way it decomposes the 

 dead larvae. According to Sturtevant, in 

 European foul brood, along with the organ- 

 ism that kills the healthy larvae, may often 

 be found several secondary germs having 

 no relation to the cause of the disease, but 

 simply causing the larvae to decompose. 

 There is one organism in particular, Bacil- 

 lus alvei, originally supposed to be the cause 

 of this disease, which often seems to be 

 associated with European foul brood in 

 large numbers. It appears that the more 

 of these organisms there are present after 

 Bacillus pinion kills the larvje, the more the 

 appearance will change. Instead of the 

 typical moist melting stage of the disease 

 there are found, due to the action of the 

 Bacillus alvei, more and more larvae that 

 have not died, until after they have become 

 capped. In this stage it is often difficult to 

 distinguish from American foul brood as 

 the dead larvae may, before they dry down, 

 show a tendency to sliminess, to rope some- 

 what, and to develop the coffee-brown color. 

 However, the way they rope is different 

 from the characteristic fine thread of Ameri- 

 can. It is coarser, at times lumpy, and too 

 moist to stretch far; also as it becomes a 

 little more dried it will stretch like an old 

 rubber band and in breaking instead of 

 snapping back will remain stretched out. 

 At this time the mass has a very disagree- 

 able spoiled-meat odor. If, however, the 

 case is watched for a few days longer al- 

 lowing the dead material to dry down, it will 

 be found that these masses, which generally 

 lie very irregularly placed in the cells, may 

 be easily removed entire; while in the case 



Fig. 3. — Government Extension man, Jay Smith, explaining to the group of beekeepers assembled at the 

 apiary of F. C. Wiggins, San Diego, Calif., how to rear queens. Mr. Smith has been doing this all over 



the State. 



