Part I.] STATE INSPECTOR OF APIARIES. 131 



brood, of which 397 colonies were found infected. But this 

 is a considerable reduction over 1915, as that year also showed 

 a reduction over 1914. Thus year by year the number of 

 infected colonies is being reduced. A more graphic representa- 

 tion is the ratio of this number of colonies to the number of 

 apiaries in which European foul brood was found, it being 397 

 colonies infected in 189 yards. This, how^ever, is but 1.17 per 

 cent of the apiaries which were visited during the year. 



There cannot be any doubt in any experienced apiarist's 

 mind, nor can the competent inspector deny, that European 

 foul brood is tricky, treacherous, evasive, subtle in symptoms, 

 — in a word, is difficult to handle. Likewise it is less easily 

 eradicated than American foul brood, which does not seem to 

 possess the peculiar evasiveness of European foul brood, due to 

 its so-called spontaneous disappearance. It is thought that 

 this at times may occur on account of environmental and racial 

 conditions. This peculiarity of European foul brood, however, 

 affords a point of attack for the rational and painstaking bee- 

 keeper, which as yet is but imperfectly understood. It has 

 long been recognized that European foul brood can be checked; 

 in this the value of certain types or strains of Italians have 

 been observed to possess peculiarly resistant qualities, which, 

 according to some, are mere expressions of thrift, — " good 

 housekeepers; " that is, they do not allow the dead to accu- 

 mulate in the alleys. If a diseased larva appears it is appar- 

 ently at once pulled out and disposed of before, it w^ould seem, 

 there can be any further spread to a neighboring cell. This 

 form of thrift, however, may also be supported by a further 

 physical character, more nearly approaching what beekeepers 

 call "immunity to European foul brood." Experiments have 

 been and are being carried on in an attempt to analyze these 

 circumstances. Already considerable light has been obtained, 

 and the preliminary results are looked for in a publication now 

 in preparation. 



For the present, beekeepers are urged to use only the strains 

 of Italians which appear to possess these resistant qualities, 

 coupled, of course, with the other desirable characteristics. It 

 will not be wise to perpetuate a strain which has in its history, 

 especially recently, European foul brood. Requeen and re- 



