AuR. 24. 190S 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



599 



CAUSK OF BEE-rARALYSIS. 



Microscopic and bacteriological investigations have shown 

 that boe-paralysis is due to the presence of a bacillus. The ex- 

 pression " a bacillus " does not mean that there is only a single 

 one iij each diseased bee, but it means that all are of the same 

 kind. That kind is called Bacillus Gayioni. 



What is bacillus, or what are the bacilli of different, 

 kinds? llacilli are classified as " plants," though they are 

 not at all like Mowers, trees, grass, etc. They are like very 

 small rods. The kind of bacilli, or to use accepted terms, the 

 bacillus that produces foul brood is only one-thousandth of an- 

 inch long, and one 40-thousandth of an inch thick ; while that 

 producing bee-paralysis is only one IS-thousandth long and 

 one 3S-hiindredth thick. 



When bacilli have attained their full size, they break into 

 two or more pieces. Each piece grows until full size, and 

 breaks also, and so on. This process lasts as long as there is 

 plenty of nourishment and sullicient heat and moisture. When 

 these conditions fail, the rods become spores of a more 

 rounded form. These spores will resist the disinfectants, 

 poisons and other noxious substances; also the extremes of 

 cold and heat, far better than the rods. They will keep alive 

 without developing for quite a length of time, and then turn 

 into rods when the proper conditions are met with. The body 

 of a larva affected may contain, not thousands, but millions 

 of these rods. When the larva dies they still consume the 

 soft parts and multiply for awhile, and then turn into spores, 

 escape, and float in the atmosphere. Some reach the honey 

 and remain there, and likely some are taken in by the bees or 

 brood in the act of respiration, or otherwise. 



But here comes the most remarkable part of the program. 

 These spores, which resist heat, cold and chemical agents so 

 well. re(|uire a certain amount of moisture to keep up their 

 vitality. Dry air does not contain enough. So those of the 

 spores that have not found a safe lodgement in the honey or 

 the bodies of some larv.T or bees, dry out and lose their vitality 

 in the course of a day or two. And this is a general rule 

 (there are some exceptions) with all kinds of bacilli. Every 

 one knows how benehcial sunshine and dry climates are to the 

 sick people. 



CULTIVATION. 



Here the question might be raised. How do we know that 

 these tiny creatures do the mischief — such little things that 

 it takes the most powerful microscope to see them. 



Well, we know it by cultivating them. Small glass vials 

 about a half-inch in diameter and a few inches long are pre- 

 pared. In these are placed some beef-broth, gelatine, milk, 

 or anything on which we think the bacilli will thrive. The 

 vials are stopped with some cotton, then carefully heated and 

 otherv/ise treated so as to make sure that no germ from the 

 air, or anything else, can get in and interfere with the culture. 



Suppose we want to study the bacilli producing foul 

 brood or bee-paralysis. We cut a small piece of the extremity 

 of the tongue of a bee from the diseased colony. That piece 

 contains a minute drop of blood, and that drop, minute as it 

 is, a number of bacilli. W'e put it in the vial. Soon after 

 the bacilli begin lo multiply there just as they would in the 

 body of a bee. We can study them easily, and ascertain all 

 we want about them. Then, to be sure that we are right, we 

 take some of that culture, feed it to some bees or brood that 

 we know to bo healthy. Then if the disease develops we 

 know that we have the bacilli wanted, and that said bacilli 

 are the cause of the disease. 



DEVELOP.MKXT. 



The chief difference between foul brood and bee-paralysis 

 is that the first is a rapidly developing disease, and the other 

 a slowly developing one. 



The first result is that in the cases of foul brood, the 

 brood infected dies before ready to seal, or soon after. This 

 does not occur with bee-paralysis. The malady develops so 

 slowly that the affected brood would not die until some time 

 at least after having emerged. It is possible — even probable — 

 that the majority of sick bees contract the malady only afn i 

 reaching the adult state. 



Jt is often said that foul brood is a disease of the brood, 

 hut not of the adult bees. That is an error. All the micro- 

 scopical investigation.s mad(^ have shown bacilli in the adult 

 bees — workers, drones and queens, as well as in the brood. 

 Even the ovaries of the queen have been found infected. .Such 

 being the case, it may seem strange that the malady is nut 

 propagated by the adult bees unless they carry some infe.r ' 

 honey. It is a known fact that sick bees go out of thi' I 

 and die away from it. Cheshire thinks that since foul lit 

 develops so rapidly, the bees which contract it get very r:i! i 

 too sick to remain in the hive, and go out to die before •. V 

 can infect the others. 



INFECTION FRO.M THE QUEEN. 



It i-i an indisputable fact that bee-paralysis may be trans- 

 mitted by the queen. Probably by laying infected eggs. The 

 malady is very contagious, anyway, and spreads very rapidly 

 from one hive to the others. 



Some writers have said that there are two stages, so to 

 speak, of the disease. In the first the disease is about as 

 I described at the beginning of this article. But sometimes 

 a turn for much the worse comes all at once ; the bees become 

 shiny rapidly, the work is almost neglected, young bees just 

 emerged, or only two or three days old, are shaking and 

 (juivering ; and ere long the colony perishes. 



When it comes to that point it is probable that the eggs 

 laid by the queen are infected. I don't know whether any 

 microscopical examination to that effect has been made or 

 not. In fact, bee-paralysis has been studied very little yet, 

 and much remains to investigate. 



I had one case like that once, upon which I tried an ex- 

 periment. While the colony had reached the worst stage of 

 the disease, it was pretty strong yet. The honey-flow was 

 good, and the temperature sulliciently high. I removed the 

 queen and gave the bees a young laying queen. In due time her 

 progeny hatched out, strong and healthy, or apparently so, 

 and soon after they cleaned out the old bees. Of course, the 

 disease reappeared, but nothing to be compared to what it 

 was while the old queen was there. Evidently the old queen 

 was infected and was laying infected eggs. I did not make 

 a microscopical investigation. I have neither the time, the 

 means, nor the ability necessary for that kind of work. 



REMEDIES. 



A great many were tried during the years referred to at 

 the beginning of this article. The most popular were re- 

 queening, salted water, and sulphur. 



Re-queening is not a cure, but always an improvement, 

 especially if the old queen is more or less diseased already. 

 In any case, a young prolific queen would cause an increase 

 of young, comparatively healthy bees, and that of itself would 

 be a considerable improvement. 



The other remedies are of but little account at the best. 

 Every few days somebody reports having applied sulphur, 

 salt, or something else, and met complete success — the shiny 

 bees had completely disappeared. Hnfortunately the disease 

 invariably reappeared the following spring. As the old, 

 shiny bees would have disappeared anyway — either died out 

 or been driven out — the conclusion forced itself upon the 

 mind that the remedies used had but little effect at the best. 



CAMPHOR. 



My bees had the disease from the beginning. It kept on 

 increasing during several years until I finally either had to do 

 something or quit keeping bees. The bacilli are in every 

 part of the bodies of the bees or brood, chiefly in the blood. 

 The spores may be anywhere in the hives, and very likely like 

 those of the foul brood in the honey and pollen. Feeding with 

 carbolic or salicylic acid would fail to reach the spores, and 

 perhaps act only in the digestive organs of the bees. Dusting 

 with sulphur or other similar substances would certainly kill 

 whatever spores or bacilli it would reach, but would fail to 

 reach the honey, especially if sealed, or even the blood or 

 other interior organs of the bees. Spraying would not be 

 much better. Fumigating would be the thing, the vapors 

 would penetrate everywhere in the hive, even through the 

 cappings, and through the bodies of the bees also. 



This may seem rather " otf," but it is not. The bees and 

 other insects breathe through a far more complete apparatus 

 than the higher animals. What we might call their lungs 

 ramify and penetrate everywhere throughout the whole body. 

 Evidently some substance ' that would evaporate freely would 

 be preferable, as then the fumigating would be done auto- 

 matically. At last I decided to try my camphor and crude 

 carbolic acid. By that time the winter was at hand. I put a 

 piece of camphor in some hives and a very small dish of car- 

 bolic acid in the others. 



When the spring came a considerable improvement was 

 noticed. The colonies were much stronger, the number of 

 shiny bees very much smaller than ever before. There was 

 but little difference between the two remedies, and what may 

 have been was in favor of the camphor, so I dropped the car- 

 bolic acid. Neither one can be :sed during the summer. The 

 carbolic acid, if given in anyiuint! like an effective quantity, 

 is liable to cause the bees to abscond. As to the camphor, 

 they enclose it in an envelop of wax and propolis in less than 

 24 hours after it is given. 



For several years I repeated the treatment every winter 

 with the result that the disease became less and less, and 

 and finally disappeared, as far as I could see. Then I discon- 



