742 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Nov. 22 1900. 



hatcht and begins to take food. In the larvce the stomach 

 (ventriculus) appears distended with pollen-grains, partially 

 digested pollen atoms, chyle, a few fungi, bacteria, etc. 

 The urinary apparatus, which develops early in larval life, 

 appears engorged, sometimes colonies of bacteria are found 

 within them. Much distortion and faulty development re- 

 sults from arrest of nutrition to the internal organs ; there 

 is a general abnormality of the glandular structures from 

 faulty development. These developmental errors are due 

 to the influence of the poisons elaborated by the bacteria in 

 the digestive organs. In many examinations I have never 

 been able to find gro%vths or scattering bacteria in the dor- 

 sal vessel — which is the heart of the bee — or in anj' other 

 parts of the vascular system. 



In foul brood, if the egg has been deposited in a foul 

 cell, when the food comes in contact with the infectious 

 material, a suitable media is formed for the growth of the 

 germ, and bacterial changes in the food destroy its nutri- 

 tive qualities, and the young larva dies of starvation or from 

 the effects of the poisons. Where the egg is deposited in 

 clean combs, and the infection reaches the brood thru the 

 food, growth of brood continues until the infectious growth 

 changes the nutriment, produces poisons, and death results. 

 The brood may continue to the pupa state, and death may 

 take place after casting of the pupa skin, just before the 

 bee is ready to emerge as a perfect insect. The fact that 

 the alimentary tract is not a fuUj' developt passage until 

 the perfect state is reacht, may influence to some extent 

 the virulence of the infection, and be held to explain why 

 diseases which belong to the larval and pupal states do not 

 infect the perfect state. 



I have been unable to find any valid evidence for hold- 

 ing queens responsible for, or that they have any influence 

 upon, the perpetuation of any disease with which I am ac- 

 quainted. Cheshire's statement of finding the baciHus alvei 

 in the undevelopt egg, in the blood of the queen, in sper- 

 matozoa of the drone, etc., has not been verified in this or 

 in any other instance, so far as I am aware. He cites as a 

 parallel case the silkworm disease, which was once so de- 

 structive in France. Bechamp, who was first to investigate 

 the case, gave quite a lengthy detail of his investigations. 

 Here is what he says, that led Cheshire to quote him : 



" The microzyma multiplies in the interior of the moth, 

 developing with its growth so that the infected moth is un- 

 able to lay its egg without depositing the spores at the same 

 time, and thus exposes the young grub to attack as soon as 

 it is born." 



Bechamp nowhere states that the miniature ovum, or 

 undevelopt egg, is attackt. Again, this is not a parallel 

 case, inasmuch as the silkworm larva partakes of much 

 solid food, voids solid excreta, is active, chooses its food, 

 etc.; while the female moth lives but a few days, deposits 

 thousands of eggs regardless of surroundings, and partakes 

 of little or no food during her life. 



Let us follow the undevelopt egg from its beginning to 

 its deposition, and we shall see where the infection comes 

 in contact with it. 



The egg at first is a microscopical atom in the ovary 

 answering to the ovum of higher animals, and subject to 

 the same developmental changes ; its growth beg-ins under 

 certain stimuli, and we now see it as a shapeless mass of 

 apparently homogeneous matter, containing certain micro- 

 scopical and chemical elements, in the minute channels of 

 the ovary ; as it continues to grow we find it in the larger 

 channels, and finally the surrounding conditions to which 

 it is subjected induce condensation of the peripheral zone, 

 whereby the definite form is greatly favored ; this progres- 

 sive condensation is productive of a distinct limiting mem- 

 brane ; here, by hig'h amplification, we discover the micro- 

 pyle (little gates), or open pores, thru which spermatozoa 

 enter the interior of the egg for the purpose of fertilization. 

 Now passing the gate whose opening leads to the seminal 

 receptacle, or spermatheca, it receives the seminal element, 

 which later results in fecundation ; passing now into the 

 still broader channel — the oviduct — it comes in contact 

 with a liquid secretion called " chitin," which appears at 

 first of a gelatinous nature, but which soon hardens, form- 

 ing the shell of the egg. In this chitinous fluid we may 

 meet the infectious germ, but this is the only place we may 

 reasonablj' expect to meet it. This gelatinous fluid serves 

 to fasten the egg to the base of the honey-comb cell. If 

 the infection were to depend upon the transmission by 

 the seminal elements, what must be the condition of the 

 seminal receptacle or spermatheca during the long life of 

 the queen ? 



it may be a puzzle to some how such definite conclu- 

 sions are arrived at, such as locating germ growths in the 



uriniferous tubules, malformations of glands, relative posi- 

 tion of organs, etc. No better way can be found to explain 

 this than to send with this sections of a larva and of a 

 pupa. These sections are about 1-500 of an inch thick — 

 much too thick for bacteriological study, so I send two or 

 three sections about 1-1000 to 1-lSOO of ,an inch in thick- 

 ness. Serial or ribbon sections show the position very ac- 

 curately of the organs, thickness and all. I have sections 

 of bees of all ages and conditions. Wm. R. How.\rd. 



Accompanj'ing the paper by Dr. Howard was the fol- 

 lowing, which he termed an 



APOLOGY : 



I had written my paper for illustrations, and not hav- 

 ing time myself to make the pictures, I employed a compe- 

 tent draftsman, and furnisht him with such sections as I 

 wanted pictured, and told him they were to be used as pic- 

 tures from which to obtain lantern-slides. Our color-grounds 

 etc., were all agreed upon, and when the work was to be 

 delivered he informed me he could not finish it. I then be- 

 gan to rewrite and alter my manuscript, and am not satis- 

 fied with it now. 



Since I began to rewrite this manuscript there has not 

 been over one hour's consecutive work, usually IS to 30 

 minutes, with hours and sometimes days of intermission, 

 working at any time, daylight, midnight, and all hours. 



I send some slides made recently for anatomical pur- 

 poses, from vrhich to make illustrations. A low-power 

 microscope or a common hand-glass will show the relation. 



I hope that you will excuse inaccuracies, etc., inelegant 

 expressions, etc. 



All remarks regarding cures, etc., had to be cut out in 

 order to get this ready for to-day's mail. 



Fort Worth, Tex., Aug. 26. W. R. H. 



(Continued next week.) 



Contributed Articles. ^ 



Keeping Queens Outside of Coionies of Bees. 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A CORRESPONDENT wants me to tell, thru the col- 

 umns of the American Bee Journal, how to keep 

 queens outside of colonies of bees, he wishing to make 

 preparation for so doing during the winter, if any special 

 preparation is needed. 



There are only two reasons that I know of why a laying 

 queen should be kept outside of a colony of bees, except in 

 the case of shipping them where sold to a customer, or 

 transporting them from one apiary to another. This ex- 

 ception has been covered quite thoroly during the past in 

 our bee-papers, no year having gone by but some one has 

 had something to say in regard to sending queens in the 

 mails, telling of the best cage, the best candy to use, the 

 right number of bees to put with the queen, and so on. 

 With me, I use a cage as made by the Root Company, of 

 Ohio, and styled the small Benton cage, during the months 

 of June, July, August, and September, where the queens do 

 not have to go more than 1,000 to 2,000 miles away. And I 

 often use these to send to any part of the United States and 

 Canada, when I think the weather will prove warm enough 

 i:util they reach their journey's end. 



In all cages I use for food what is known as the " Good 

 candy," no matter where sent. 



For early spring and late fall, and when I fear the 

 weather may be cold, I u.se a cage of the same pattern, but 

 about three times as deep. With the first or smaller cage I 

 use from 10 to 12 bees, and with the larger cage from 16 to 

 20. These workers are bees from six to ten days old, as 

 nearly as can be told, or young bees which have had their 

 first cleansing flight, as bees which have :iot flown to 

 empty themselves of the accumulations collecting thru their 

 larval period are not in condition to endure confinement to 

 the best advantage. 



Worker-bees are best caught and selected when they 

 have their heads in the cells taking honey, and bees of the 

 age spoken of above are far more likely to take honey when 

 the hive is being disturbed than are those older or younger, 



