237 



which has become infested is in turn capable of com- 

 municating the infestation to its neighbours. But from 

 the organisation of the parasite and the relatively small 

 numbers of its progeny as compared with that of either 

 a bacterial organism or Protozoon, we are certain that 

 the process of increase is very much slower, and con- 

 sequently so also is the rate of spread of the infestation. 

 It is obvious, therefore, that in a crowded hive, some 

 time must elapse before the proportion of infested bees 

 is such that the prosperity of the stock is impaired 

 beyond recoverj\ And when other favourable factors 

 are present large numbers have an additional value 

 in tending to save the stock. 



Importance of a Good Queen. 



In a bee population in the working season there is a 

 continuous production of new individuals ; young and 

 disease free bees are daily crowding on to the frames 

 and taking up their share of communal life. Normally 

 this birth-rate greatly exceeds the rate of spread of 

 disease with its associated mortality, and thus the 

 incidence of disease in the stock will vary and must for 

 the time being decline. Just to what extent this 

 favourable condition develops depends primarily upon 

 the age and constitution of the queen, whilst the 

 degree to which her reproductive fimctions are exercised 

 is again affected, amongst other factors by the size of 

 the stock for the time being. 



When Acairine disease is present in a stock during 

 the working season, theoretically, there are three pos- 

 sibilities as regards increase, viz : — 



1 . Production may outstrip both the normal mortality 

 and the losses from disease ; 



2. A balance may be maintained ; 



3. Production may fail to keep pace with the normal 

 mortality and disease losses. 



The results in each case should be obvious. In the 

 first case the colony maintains itself in being. The 

 proportion of incapacitated bees never in the course of 

 the season rises so high as to threaten a breakdown of 

 the social organization. The colony may yield surplus 

 stores. But even in this case the productiveness is 



