200 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



[September. 



working with Bacillus larvae and has seen that resembles a spirochaete, and 



been referring to it as the "bacillus since Maassen made no mention of 



difficult of cultivation;" that Maassen the giant whips found there so abun- 



has been working with Bacillus larvae dantly, it is quite certain that he has 



and has been referring to it as Bacil 

 lus brandenburgiensis, and that von 



made this mistake. 



This preliminary note will be fol- 



Buttel Reepen has referred to Bacil- lowed by a bulletin which will contam 



lus larvae as "B. burri." It is hoped in full the results of recent investi- 



that this confusion may soon cease to gations by others on the brood diseas- 



gjj-jgj. es of bees and a detailed account of 



In the study of Bacillus larvae on the work done here, 



this new medium some interesting ad- The results may be summarized as 



ditional facts have been observed in follows. 



the morphology and cuhural charac- (i) In previous pubhcations the ati- 



ters of this organism which will be thor has made no claim that Bacillus 



given in a bulletin from this Bureau in larvae is the cause of American foul 



^ r , !_ -„ — brood. 



(2) A medium has been devised by 



the near future. One fact is men 



tioned now because it seems to have ^_^ , 



caused one German investigator, Dr. which cultures of Bacillus larvae may 

 Albert Maassen, to fall into error in be obtained in large quantities suit- 

 the interpretation of certain findings, able for experimental inoculation. 

 This fact is that this species, Bacillus This medium consists of the sterile 

 larvae, produces a large number of filtrate obtained by diluting and filter- 

 giant whips. (Giant whips are at ing the crushed bodies of bee larvae 

 present believed to be in some way a through a Berkefeld or other fine fil- 

 modification of flagella, the motile ter. 



organs of bacteria.) These giant (3) American foul brood has been 



whips appear in pure cultures of Bac- produced by feeding pure cultures of 



'-'" '■-'■ -^^ ' — " Bacillus larvae, and the symptoms 



of the disease are the same as those 



illus larvae and persist there for a 



long time. The structures which Maas- ^. ...^ ^.^^^^^ „.^ ...^ .. „.. .„^..„ 



sen evidently saw and reported in two produced by feeding the scales of this 

 different publications, naming them disease and as those observed in the 

 Spirochaeta apis, are nothing other apiary where colonies are affected with 

 than giant whips which normally be- this disease. 



long to Bacillus larvae and which are (4) The structures described by 

 formed by the growth of Bacillus lar- Doctor Maassen, of Dahlem, Ger- 

 vae in the larvae of the bee. many, as spirochaetes and named by 



Maassen seems to have no further him Spirochaeta apis are not spiro- 

 evidence that the structures which he chaetes, but normal structures pro- 

 saw are spirochaetes than what could duced by the growth of Bacillus lar- 

 be gained by a microscopic examina- vae. These are known in bacteriol- 

 tion of the remams of the dead larvae ogy as giant whips, 

 which had suffered from this disease. Approved- 

 The appearance which he interprets as 

 a spirochaete in the process of divis- 

 ion can be seen in the giant whips ob- 

 tained from pure cultures of Bacillus 

 larvae. These giant whips are found 

 in the decaying larvae which are dead 

 from American foul brood experi 



W. M. Hays, 



Acting Secretary of Agriculture. 

 Washington, D. C., July 15, 1907. 



Prevention of swarming is accoir- 



plished by L. Arnold by a simple 



iiuui rT.iiicin.d,ii lULii ij.vvwu ^^^^.. treatment: He transfers bees and 



mentally produced by feeding pure brood combs into an empty hive, 



cultures of Bacillus larvae 



The author has observed these struc- 

 tures in a large number of examina- 

 tions of American foul brood, espe- 

 cially in tlie hanging-drop prepara- 

 tions made directly from the dead lar 



then he brushes all bees from the 

 combs in front of their old hive, 

 cuts out all queen cells and replaces 

 the combs. Two frames filled with 

 comb foundation are added. He 

 says, that this treatment confuses the 



vae. There is nothing else contain- bees and they give up all ideas of 

 ed in the dead larvae which can be swarming.— Le Ruge Beige. 



