112 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



[Nov. 



built houses for wintering: purposes, and throwing 

 out the uncapped honey with the Extractor in the Fall. 



J. G. PORTMAft. 



Benton Harbor, Michigan. 



What is the Cause of the great Mortality among 

 the Eees? 



It is well understood anions; beekeepers, that the 

 above is the great question just now ; and yet, in my 

 humble opinion, none have been able to answer it ; 

 neither am I prepared to do so. I purpose, however, 

 to show that the theories put forth as to the disease 

 and the cause, will not stand the test of careful ex- 

 amination. I have received many letters asking for 

 papers on the subject, but to one and all, I have re- 

 plied that I was not prepared to say anything about 

 it, until full reports were received from all the affected 

 districts, both in Canada and in the United States. 

 These reports are now before me, and after careful 

 examination, I have arrived at the above conclusion — 

 that no one has or can answer the question at present. 

 That bees have died during the past winter and 

 this spring up till the present time throughout the 

 greater part of Canada and the United States, is a 

 fact that nearly every beekeeper can attest. So fear- 

 ful has been the di=ease, that in some large districts 

 every bee has died, and that, too, under the most 

 favorable conditions. Large apiaries of seventy-five 

 and a hundred stocks have entirely perished. The 

 like has never before been known. After careful ex- 

 amination of all the reports, I am fully convinced 

 that bees have suffered from some epidemic or fear- 

 ful disease unknown to apiculturists, which is caus- 

 ing far greater mortality than that so much dreaded 

 disease, "foul brood." 



For the last four years there have been complaints 

 of a great mortality among the bees in certain dis- 

 tricts in the United States. In Canada, too, we have 

 noted the same, but not to so great an extent ; yet it 

 has been increasing every season, and last season in 

 many sections nine-tenths of the bees died. What can 

 be the cause of this great mortality? Mrs. Tapper, 

 a noted beekeeper of Iowa, says in answer to the 

 question, "that bees have died of too much honey," 

 which she accounts for in this way : The honey har- 

 vest was very abundant last fall, and the bees gather- 

 ing largely, all the breeding cells were filled up ; the 

 consequence was, that breeding ceased ; hence, all 

 the bees that went into winter quarters were old bees 

 which have gradually died, and, before it was time 

 for breeding to commence this spring to any extent, 

 the stock became so depopulated, that breeding was 

 not induced, and the stocks perished. 



Now, it may have been the case, and doubtless was, 

 in the vicinity where Mrs. Tupper resides, that bees 

 gathered largely late in the fall, but in other localities 

 such was not the case, and still the bees died, hence 

 that cannot be the cause. Another claims that it is 

 the result of introducing Italian bees ; but it so hap- 

 pens that all the hybrid stocks are the last to die, and 

 not only so, but in sections where no Italians have 

 been introduced, the native or common bees have 

 died fearfully. Another writer for the National Bee 

 Journal says, that the honey gathered in the fall was 

 thin and watery, much of which was not capped over ; 

 this soured, and being used for food by the bees, pro- 

 duced the disease; but unfortunately for him, in 

 Canada, especially in this section, there was no thin 

 honey gathered in the fall, and all honey was capped 

 over, yet nine-tenths of the bees are dead, and still 

 dying. Several other writers claim that it is for want 

 of bee bread ; that they failed to gather in a supply ; 

 yet there is no reason why they should not have 

 gathered just as much bee bread last season as in any 

 other season ; for, surely, last season was not so un- 



like all other seasons in the past, that bees should 

 have failed to gather sufficient bee bread, which they 

 never could have failed to do before ; for if they had, 

 the mortality would have been the same as now ; but 

 the truth is, bees have died with plenty of bee bread 

 and honey* Others, again, argue tl>;>t the winter has 

 been unusually severe; but we know that it has not 

 been more severe than many winters in the past when 

 there was no such mortality among bees ; not only 

 so, but the reports show that bees wintered in good, 

 dry cellars have died equally with those wintered on 

 their summer stands. Others, again, say that from 

 some cause the queens ceased breeding early in the 

 season, and consequently stocks became depopulated, 

 until not enough of bees were left to keep up sufficient 

 animal heat. But why has such a ease never occurred 

 before? Why have all the queens waited for the fall 

 of 1871 in which to cease laying in a manner they 

 have never done before ? The truth is, however, 

 that stocks have died this spring after the queens 

 were breeding all right, and even after the severe 

 cold weather was past, and with plenty of honey in 

 the hives. In fact, in this section the honey gathered 

 last season was of the best quality, as but little honey 

 was gathered after the white clover harvest was over. 

 The hives were well filled, and in most instances the 

 stocks that perished had an abundance of honey. 



I find also from reports received from Cape Breton 

 and the eastern part of Canada, that in most cases 

 the bees had an abundance of honey, and were capped 

 over, yet the mortality was fearful. One gentleman 

 writing me, says : "I think there are not over four 

 6tocks alive out of every hundred. I lost my entire 

 apiary, consisting of eighty stocks, although my bees 

 were in good condition apparently, and wintered in 

 the same manner as I have wintered for years. I 

 fully agree with you that it must be some dreadful 

 disease among the bees." Mr. Thos. C. Hill, attorney 

 at law of Sidney, Cape Breton, who was the first to 

 introduce bees into that island, says: "My bees are 

 all dead. I was not aware that others bail suffered 

 like myself, until I saw your account of it. I win- 

 tered my stocks in the usual manner, and they were 

 well supplied with honey." 



With the above facts before me, I am satisfied that 

 no one has been able to correctly answer the ques- 

 tion, while I am forced to believe that bees have suf- 

 fered from some plague or terrible disease, in a manner 

 similar to epidemies among other animals. 



I am, however, inclined to believe it has reached 

 its height, and will gradually disappear. 



Brooldin, Ontario. J. II. Thomas. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee-keeping at Hartford, New York. 



Deau Tourn'aTj : — For some unknown reason, 

 Uncle Sam failed to deliver my Journals in regu- 

 lar order for a few months last winter au 1 spring, 

 and I thought I would give up takio r it ; but after 

 missing its welcome visits for several ra mths, I 

 am again made happy by receiving the back 

 numbers, and though I take other bee papers, I 

 will not dispense with the Journal again, unless 

 Uncle Sam fails me entirely. 



I find in it a freedom of discussion of bee in- 

 terests which I cannot find in journals d s voted 

 to the advancement of their own patent hive 

 interests ; and as long as the Journal keeps itself 

 free from bee-hive patent-right-ism it will be 

 looked up to as standard authority, and its circu 



