Al'KIL. 1021 



G T. E A N T N S IN P. K K C T' I, T H R R 



tiiiio in Aiiioricrni bepkeoiiiny litorntiirc on 

 the subject of ' ' i'otMliiio- ));u-k'' oxtrjictcd 

 honey for the coinjiU'tion of unlinished sec 

 tious. Tliese fioiires indicate (|uite consistent- 

 ly that a colony of bees, wlien actively en- 

 gaged in storing comb honey in sections, uses 

 one and a half pounds of honey daily. In 

 practically every recorded case brood-rear- 

 ing was restricted, while the colonies were 

 being fed, by reducing the brood-chamber 

 to five combs. From this great mass of lig- 

 ures on feeding back Getaz concluded that 

 170 pounds of honey is the lowest amount 

 consumed by a noiinal colony during the 

 year. 



Disregarding the brood reared pievious to 

 about Ajiril 1 and assuming that a colony 

 rears two frames of brood during the tirst 

 period of 21 days, tive frames of brood dur- 

 ing the second period of 21 days, and 10 

 frames of brood during the third period of 

 21 days, we have a total of 17 frames of 

 brood, which, according to the above figures, 

 cost 68 pounds of honey. Some colonies will 

 probably produce 20 combs of brood in this 

 time, costing SO pounds of honey. This takes 

 the colony up to about the first of June. As- 

 suming an average of five frames of brood 

 thru July and August, we have 15 frames of 

 brood costing 60 pounds of honey. Assuming 

 three frames of brood thru August and Sep- 

 tember we have nine frames of brood, or a 

 total of 164 to 176 pounds for brood-rearing 

 alone. To this must be added 15 to 20 pounds 

 for winter and the amount of honey used by 

 the adult bees wlien they are active during 

 a honey flow. On this point we have but 

 little information; but, if the above figures 

 are nearly correct, normal colonies of bees 

 must consume more than 200 pounds of honev 

 annually, even in the North. 



The large amount of stores needed for 

 brood-rearing during the spring, in some 

 cases apparently as much as 80 pounds, eni- 

 jihasizes the need of close attention as to 

 stores during this time when the bees may 

 not be able to gather much from the fields. 



Cc: 



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IN THOSE areas in which both Anu'rican 



foul brood and Eurojiean foul brood are 



often found in the 



The Sequence of 



Brood Diseases. 



same apiai'ies, some 

 beekeepers actual- 

 ly believe that one 

 of these diseases turns into the other. So 

 strong is this belief in some places that it 

 is often discussed in beekeepers' meetings; 

 and the idea has even crept into some of 

 the bee journals, thus unfortunately adding 

 to the confusion already existing in the 

 miiuls of many beekeepers who have to con- 

 tend with both <liseases. 



It should not be necessary to call atten- 

 tion here to the fact that the cause of each 

 of the two most destructive brood diseases 

 is positively known, the cause of American 

 foul brood being a specific germ Bacillus 

 larvae (White), ami the cause of European 

 foul ])rood being an entirely difl'erent gei'in. 



Bacillus pluton (White). The work of Dr. 

 White in tlie investigation of the cause of 

 these brood <liseases has l)een verified by 

 Stnrtevant as well as other investigators; 

 so there can lie no reason for <loubt as to its 

 being coriect. For Bacillus pluton to change 

 into Bacillus larvae is just about as imjios- 

 sible as for wheat to change to corn, or to- 

 nmtoes to change to apples. 



Why should such a belief become prev- 

 alent among beekeepers? What could they 

 have observed that could possibly lead them 

 to such a conclusion? The explanation is 

 found in the difference in the 1»eha\ior of 

 the two diseases. 



European foul brood is usually at its worst 

 in the spring, often disappearing latei' in 

 the season, so that sometimes its presence 

 can not be detected in the apiary even by a 

 careful examination of the combs; while 

 American foul brood persists thruout the 

 season, usually growing worse as the season 

 advances. European foul brood usually 

 spreads with surprising rapidity thruout the 

 a]>iary during the spring; while American 

 foul brood, if not checked by the beekeeper, 

 spreads slowly but surely thruout the sea- 

 son, especially during the robbing season. 

 European foul brood is more destructive to 

 weaker colonies, since strong colonies, e.spe- 

 cially if Italians, are better able to resist 

 it; while American foul brood destroys the 

 strong as well as the weak, often being 

 found first in tlie strongest colonies. 



When both diseases are present the bee- 

 keeper sees chiefly European foul brood dur- 

 ing the spring and chiefly American foul 

 l)rood during the fall, altho both diseases 

 may be jireseut thruout the season. The 

 variation in the symptoms of European foul 

 brood, by which it sometimes closely resem- 

 bles American foul brood in appearance at 

 tirst glance, may lead the beekeeper to think 

 that he has only European foul brood in 

 the spring, and the disappearance of the 

 characteristic symjitoms of European foul 

 brood later in the season leads him to be- 

 lieve that he has only American foul brood 

 left. If he send a sample to the Bureau of 

 Entomology at Washington for examination 

 in the spring when his trouble is overwhelm- 

 ingly European foul brood he is almost sure 

 to select a sample of this disease; and, if he. 

 sends another sample in the fall when Euro- 

 pean foul brood is difficult to find, he is al- 

 most sure to send a sample of American 

 foul brood. 



When both diseases are present a bad case 

 of spring dwindling, following poor win- 

 tering, may be diagnosed as "disappearing 

 disease." The colonies thus weakene(l be- 

 come easy i)rey for European foul brood. 

 Even with this handicap the colonies may 

 build up during the honey flow and clean 

 up the European foul brood to a large ex- 

 tent, so that later in the season the bee- 

 keeper sees only American foul V)rood. Not- 

 ing this sequence of evils the beekeeper 

 may be led to the erroneous and absurd be- 

 lief that one disease turns into another. 



