CHAPTER XVIII. 

 Diseases of Bees. 



784. Bees are subject to but few diseases that deserve 

 special notice. We have said (626) that we consider diar- 

 rhoea as the result of an accumulation of foeces only, but Mr. 

 Cheshire has examined some of the foeces of diarrhoea, and 

 found in some of them living organisms, which indicate that, 

 sometimes, the distension of the abdomen is not caused by the 

 overloading of the intestines alone. These organisms, when 

 better imown, will probably explain some of the losses of bees, 

 after AVinter, and the Spring dwindling (659), which re- 

 duces so many colonies. 



785. There is, however, a disease of bees which seems 

 akin to diarrhoea and at times becomes epidemic. The bees 

 do not discharge any excrements but their abdomens are dis- 

 tended with a fetid matter, they lose their hairs and assume 

 a smooth black appearance. They are first noticed crawling 

 at the top of the combs as if cold and numb, looking as if 

 paralyzed in some of their limbs. This disease, w^hich is rare, 

 has yet been noticed in many countries and has been variously 

 named ''bee-paralysis" in this countiy, "vertigo-dizziness" in 

 Europe, "Mai de Mai" in France, "Mai de Maggio" in Italy, 

 "Maikrankheit" in Germany. Cheshire has described it under 

 the name of Bacillus Gaytoni becaivse he obtained the first 

 samples of the disease from a Miss Gayton. Other Englisk 

 scientists have called it Bacillus depilis, which is much more 

 appropriate, since the diseased bees generally lose their hairs 

 during the progi'ess of the malady. This disease was first 

 considered by us as a sort of constipation which degenerated 

 into a contagious infection, as it usually begins after a hard 

 winter, but the fact that it exists in warm countries such as 

 Florida, California, Italy, &c., would indicate that cold 



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