245 



v.— PROFITABLE DISEASED STOCKS AND 

 THEIR PROBLEMS. 



A feature of this Disease which naturally perplexes 

 those who have not seriously studied it, is the apparent 

 non-susceptibility, or capacity for recovery of particular 

 stocks. In illustration of this I give here a few ex- 

 amples. 



1. In a letter from a correspondent, the following 

 paragraphs occurred : — 



" On January 9th I received your report that the 

 bees from one of my stocks had Tarsonemus woodi. 



" From this stock reported diseased on that date I 

 had a swarm on the 23rd of May, and this swarm 

 swarmed on the 28th of June. I have taken oft 150 

 sections, and have three very strong stocks." 



A sample of the stock originally reported on waa 

 sent me in the beginning of September and was found 

 free from Tarsonemus woodi. 



2. Another correspondent wrote : — " My best stock 

 this year was from one found to be infected in April 

 last. From this stock I made two good nuclei, gave 

 combs of brood to other hives, and took off four crates 

 of sections. It now shows no sign of sickness." 



3. In another case I was furnished with particulars 

 of an earlier history of acarine infection. According to 

 the bee-keeper, the stock recovered. It yielded him a 

 profitable return in both honey and bees, and with some 

 pride he suggested that it was unlikely that I should 

 find Tarsonemus in his bees. All the same Tarsonemus 

 was found, and in most of his sample the disease was 

 in an advanced stage. 



It is important to remember that in all of these cases 

 diagnosis of the presence of the disease was made in 

 the first instance by the recognition of Tarsonemus 

 woodi in the bees, before any external symptoms of 

 disability had developed. Apart from this knowledge 

 the colonies would undoubtedly have been classed as 

 "healthy." These are not to be compared with those 

 cases in which the disease has so permeated the colony 

 that its presence is manifested in crawling symptoms 



