92 DISEASES. 



are suffered by the bees to remain and rot', thus gen- 

 erating a most offensive effluvia, which affects the 

 general health of the bees in the hive where it exists.* 

 After the effluvia subsides, the cells, being nearly 

 empty, are cleaned out by the bees and again used 

 for breeding, (this however is only while a numerous 

 swarm remains) and what seems most singular is, 

 that a portion of the next generation of brood reared 

 in the same cells come to maturity, while in adjoining 

 cells that previously produced mature bees, increased 

 numbers of dead are found. During cold, moist 

 weather, the disease increases rapidly, but as soon as 

 it changes to warm and dry, the disease frequently 

 abates, exhibiting an intermittent character. It is 

 generally about three months from the time the virus 

 is introduced into a hive before the disease appears, 



* Having advanced the idea that the health of the adult bees was 

 affected by this disease, I instituted the following experiment to 

 prove it : On a clean white paper I dissected twelve bees taken 

 at random out of a hive that was badly affected, over half the 

 brood being dead, and emitting an intolerable stench. The intes- 

 tines of seven were found to contain excrementitious matter of a 

 dark color and offensive smell, being evidently the result of dis- 

 ease. The other five were found to contain matter of a yellow 

 color, comparing exactly with that of bees taken from healthy 

 hives, dissected on the same paper. This was satisfactory evi- 

 dence to my mind, that a proportion of the adult bees in hives 

 having foul brood are diseased, and reproduce it in hives to which 

 they may be driven, unless repeated a number of times, during 

 which a portion of them die, and the balance, by being compelled 

 to fly, discharge their filth. 



