wise ii repullt'd in tlie weedinjj-out of sus- 

 ceiitible ^■t^ain!5 and Iho survival of flicsc 

 possessing tolerance or iininiinity. Owinii 

 to vai-iation in this tolerance and immunity, 

 disease mijzht sliow from time to time, and 

 in such a district the disease would be said 

 lo be enclcmic. Owing to migrations or to 

 commerce some of these tolerant individuals 

 reach other localities where the disease is 

 uid<ni)\vn. In such a favorable field tlie 

 gei'in is able l;> attack large numbers of 

 individuals with low ]Kiwers of Vrsistance. 

 and the result is an epidemic. 



Now we can understand what has t)een 

 happening in the liee world. Commerce 

 and the increase of beekee})ing, so that dis- 

 tricts are now linked up liv living bridges 

 over Avhich the disease can cross, give ad- 

 vantages to disease that it never before 

 possessed. We do not know when Isle of 

 AYight disease first issued from its endemic 

 center, and it is quite likely that it has 

 found a home permanently in more than 

 one district. It is not much iu evidence in 

 dry hot summers, but will cause heavy loss- 

 es during the Avinter. In a dry warm coun- 

 try where there is no wintering problein 

 sucli a disease might attract no attention. 

 In the struggle for existence, however, the 

 more resistant bees Avould be favored. Un- 

 fortunately Avhen such bees are brought to 

 northern latitudes the winters are likely to 

 prove fatal when the parasite is present. 



Tlie survival of certain apiaries on the 

 Isle of Wight for several years after the 

 otlier bees were dead does not appear to 

 have been due to immunity, but, rather, to 

 the fact that the disease did not reach them. 

 Such apiaries disappeared quickly enough 

 when attacked. On the same lines it is 

 possil>le that the success of the Dutch bees 

 was due to their freedom from liarmful par- 

 asites when imported. They gave good le- 

 sults, but, like other kinds, were fiable to 

 contract disease after a time. AVhen a 

 district has been cleared, bees from Holland 

 are very useful for I'estocking purposes; 

 and as it is possible to obtain colonies of 

 them the grafting of healthy queens on to 

 moribund or doubtful stocks of native bees 

 is avoided. Fecunditv is one of their assets. 



GLKANINGS IN HKE CULTURE 



So far as I can interpret the facts, at- 

 tempts at drug cures and the requeening of 

 dying stocks can be dismissed as of no avail. 

 The destruction of stocks sliowing crawling 

 symptoms, too, has little or no elfeet on the 

 spread, because the disease travels by means 

 of the flying bees before such symptoms are 

 manifested. To be of use the destruction 

 of the stock in question should be accom- 

 panied by the destruction of all stocks with- 

 in a radius of several miles. As this is 

 scarcely jiracticable, it is advisable to avoid 

 attempts at keeping up a dwindling apiary, 

 but to wait- till the district has l)een cleared 

 of bees, and then make a fresh start with a 

 healthy strain of bees. My preference in 

 this direction Avould be for a strain of yel- 

 lows with a record for longevity similar to 

 tliat given by Doolittle on page 10 of 

 Gleanings for this year. We can feel 

 pretty sure that longevity and health are 

 associated, and I always feel suspicious 

 that the short-lived bee may be suffering 

 from some chronic trouble Avhich robs it of 

 a few days of the best period of its life 

 from the honey-produeei's' standpoint. 



As to using the combs again, we know 

 that infection may precede the -first sym.p- 

 toms of disease by at least six months. We 

 know that then the disease may disaj^pear 

 to terminate fatally six or nine months 

 afterward. If Ave do not notice the first 

 batch of craAvling bees Ave may think that 

 these bees have remained healthy for over 

 twelve months. When bees are put on to 

 old combs, and death takes plac-e a year or 

 two afterAvard, it may be due to reinfection ; 

 but there is an element of uncertainty about 

 it. It is far safer to store the combs for a 

 time at least, and reject some of the heaAder, 

 dirty, breeding-combs Avhich afford the max- 

 imum protection to disease germs. The 

 precaution may be unnecessary; but some 

 of the eA'idence suggests ground infection, 

 and it is, therefore, supposable that a germ 

 may sometimes reach the combs. 



A minute animal parasite, Nosema apis, 

 is thought to be the cause; but diseases of 

 this type are the most baffling Avith Avhich 

 the ])athologist has to deal, and afford am- 

 ple o])portunity for controversy. 

 Alburv. Herts. England. 



THE HONEY -MONEY MAKERS 



BY ROSE AVILLIAilS. 



To -my Avay of lliinking there is nothing 

 more attractive and at the same time so re- 

 muneratiA-e as bee culture; and for the life 

 of me I cannot understand why more people 

 do'Tl take it u]) jn'ofessionally. Evei'v 



little countiy place should have a few colo- 

 nies of bees, and big places would profit by 

 having a full-fledged apiary. 



My place is situated about three miles 

 from a llni\i]'g citv; a::d w':ile I hold :. 



I 



