AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



179 



ion, the only correct method of dealing 

 with the infected colonies is to destroy 

 the bees, combs and hives, and do it as 

 soon as the first symptoms appear. 



I saw the disease make its first appear- 

 ance in a colony purchased from a dealer 

 in a distant State. It spread from that 

 colony to the adjacent hives, and in the 

 course of the first six months all of my 

 colonies but about two were diseased. 

 The bees lay in heaps before the hives, 

 and the yard was strewn with the dead. 

 They could be found under the flower- 

 ing trees and bushes, dead with loads of 

 pollen in the pollen-baskets, and float- 

 ing in numbers on the surface of the 

 river. Hot weather came, and the mor- 

 tality decreased until I thought, like 

 Prof. Cook, that my bees were all right 

 again. But as soon as the brood-rear- 

 ing began the next spring, the malady 

 reappeared, and was as bad as ever 

 until summer came again, when all my 

 colonies apparently recovered except 

 one, in which the bees continued to die 

 during the entire season. 



This last spring the same thing was 

 repeated, and one-fourth of my entire 

 stock of bees, during the honey-flow, 

 stored absolutely no honey. One-eighth 

 perished outright, and all my colonies 

 suffered except two. At the present 

 lime, only an experienced eye could de- 

 tect the presence of any diseased bees, 

 and that in only about one hive in five. 

 Some of the colonies that were so much 

 reduced in the spring as to appear a 

 bare handful of bees, are now as strong 

 in numbers as could be desired. I fully 

 expect that next year will be a repeti- 

 tion of the same experience. 



I am now trying the experiment of re- 

 queening. I have noticed that in every 

 colony where the disease has been very 

 bad, and there has been a perfect re- 

 covery, that the old queen has been re- 

 placed with a new one by the bees them- 

 selves. I have reason to think that the 

 infection is not serious until the queen 

 is attacked, and that then her brood is 

 hatched with the disease well developed 

 in most cases. 



In a large percentage of my colonies a 

 few diseased bees may be seen almost 

 any time, but honey will be stored, and 

 brood will be reared, and the colony be 

 strong and populous. But suddenly the 

 last stage of the malady will be reached, 

 the queen become infected, and for all 

 purpose of gathering honey, the colony 

 becomes worthless, until another queen 

 is reared. 



I have very little confidence in the 

 success of the experiment of re-queen- 

 Ing, but thought that I would give it a 



trial before doing what I fear must be 

 resorted to in the end, namely, the en- 

 tire destruction of all the bees and hives 

 in order to put an end to the trouble. 



My experience leads me to believe that 

 in the case of the queen, the infection 

 may be latent for a time, and then break 

 out and destroy her and the colony in 

 which she may be. From a colony that 

 had the disease a former year, and had 

 become greatly reduced, and then thor- 

 oughly recuperated after rearing a new 

 queen, and which colony then showed 

 no sign of the disease whatever, I took 

 the queen and placed her in another 

 apiary belonging to my brother, distant 

 a quarter of a mile. There was no dis- 

 ease among his bees. In three months 

 this queen had developed the malady, 

 and her progeny died by the thousand 

 until at last the whole colony perished. 

 The robber bees carried the infection to 

 other hives, and my brother's apiary has 

 now several well-developed cases of the 

 bee-paralysis. So I conclude that the 

 infection may be carried by a queen 

 which is apparently in perfect health. 

 That it is so carried, is beyond all doubt. 



I suggest that every apiarist, who 

 finds a diseased queen or colony sold 

 him by a dealer, should at once advise 

 the bee-keeping world of the fact, that 

 this particular dealer has sold diseased 

 bees, in order that the unscrupulous ven- 

 dor may have no further opportunity to 

 spread the disease. I think that the 

 bee-papers should make it a point to 

 keep their readers posted in regard to 

 such matters, and that they should 

 cheerfully publish such notices when 

 offered. I think that no dealer who has 

 bee-paralysis in his apiary, ought ever 

 to offer to sell a queen. It is so insidi- 

 ous in its approach, that the infection 

 may be brought into the hive by rob- 

 bers before there is much indication of 

 its presence visible, even to a close ob- 

 server. 



Bee-paralysis may not be a serious 

 affection in the North, but it is in this 

 section, killing out some colonies alto- 

 gether, and so crippling the majority of 

 those affected, that they can store but a 

 small surplus. It is very contagious, 

 and in this climate, at least, the pub- 

 lished remedies are of no avail. 



Columbia, Miss., July 5. 



A Binder for holding a year's num- 

 bers of the Bee Joubnal, we mail for 

 only 50 cents ; or clubbed with the 

 Journal for $1.40. 



