June, 1921 



a T, K A N I N S IN B K K U I. T TT K K 



339 



out treatnuMit, and tlic disease continues on 

 unabated unless there is an extra good 

 queen, in which case she may supply new 

 bees faster than the old bees die off. In 

 the case of the disappearing disease of this 

 country, so far as known, the malady or 

 disease or whatever it is, never lasts more 

 than 10 days, at the end of which time the 

 trouble disappears — hence the name, disap- 

 pearing disease. 



It appears that the parasite, Tavsoncnuix 

 iroodi, may be found in apparently perfect- 

 ly normal or healthy bees. Bees carrying 

 the mites will go to the fields and appar- 

 ently function as well as bees that are 

 healthy or without the mite; but, as the 

 parasite begins to develop, the first symptom 

 of their host or victim will be its inability 

 to fly, altho it may appear to be perfectly 

 normal in all other respects. After a time 

 it joins other affected bees out in front of 

 the entrance of the hive, there to die. The 

 disease, therefor, is insidious in that a bee- 

 keeper may have it and not know it until 

 in the later stages he finds evidence show- 

 ing disjointed wings and many bees crawl- 

 ing around in front of the entrance. It is 

 rather remarkable, even where only one or 

 two of the first pair of spiracles may be af- 

 fected, that paralysis of one or both of the 

 wing muscles takes place. Apparently the 

 perfect functioning of the first pair of tra- 

 cheae is necessary in order to insure a nor- 

 mal flight on the part of the bees. 



That the closing of the spiracles from 

 any cause has a direct influence on the 

 wings is proved by the fact that the same 

 effect is produced by using any other means 

 of closing these openings, such as warm 

 paraffin. Experiments by Rennie have 

 shown that, when these orifices are closed 

 with paraffin, flight is made impossible al- 

 most immediately, altho the bee seems to 

 be perfectly normal in all other respects, and 

 may continue so for several weeks at a 

 time. The fact that it can not fly, how- 

 ever, soon results in the clogging of the in- 

 testinal passage. This was what gave rise 

 to the belief that the disease or malady was 

 due to a protozoan or bacterium in the in- 

 testines. Bees normally will not discharge 

 their feces except in flight. 



In this country beekeepers will often find 

 in the apiary crawling bees unable to fly. 

 Such bees are not infrequently found at the 

 beginning of a honey flow or during a tem- 

 porary attack of disappearing disease. 

 While it is possible that the parasite may 

 be in this country, the presumption is rather 

 in favor of the supposition that some for- 

 eign substances — possibly some dirt or pol- 

 len gTains — have closed the first pair of 

 spiracles, thus bringing on paralysis of the 

 wings. Until more definite proof is fur- 

 nished, this can be only a surmise or a 

 guess. Until then the beekeepers of the 

 United States should send all cases of bee 

 paralysis, disapj)earing disease, and all bees 

 around the entrance that are unable to fly, 



to Dr. K. V. rhillips of the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology, AVashington, D. <J. It is highly im- 

 portant that all such be examined at once. 

 In the mean time the hope has been en- 

 tertained in this country that the Isle of 

 Wight disease can not thrive hei-e. The cli- 

 matic conditions in this country are so dif- 

 ferent from those in Great Britain that a 

 disease that might thrive in a damp or 

 humid atmosphere might find it difficult to 

 get a foothold here. The last quotation 

 given above would seem to indicate that 

 the hope is not well founded, because the 

 authorities state that other races of bees 

 can be readily infected with the parasite 

 The work done by Rennie, White, and Har- 

 vey in finally locating the cause of the Isle 

 of Wight disease is invaluable. But the one 

 first to discover Tarsonemus in the tracheae 

 of honeybees was Elsie J. Harvey. This is 

 not the first time that a woman has come 

 forward with some great discovery. The 

 knowledge of the cause of the disease may 

 now suggest a cure. 



Suggested Cure for Isle of Wight Disease. 



It has been found that Tarsom'iitiis ivoodi 

 affects mainly the old or field bees. It is 

 seldom found on young bees. Whether the 

 mite or parasite lodges in the blossoms that 

 have been infested by other bees is not yet 

 shown; but, in the absence of any evidence 

 to the contrary, it may be inferred that 

 flying bees going to a neighboring hive by 

 mistake might carry the parasite from col- 

 onj^ to colony. One would naturally expect, 

 as in the case of foul brood, that the hives 

 near the one infected, with the entrances 

 in the same direction, would soon have the 

 parasite. It would also be inferred that 

 the pests would be carried thru the agency 

 of robbing. It might also be transmitted 

 thru hives and appliances. 



Nothing in the report by Rennie, White, 

 and Harvey gives a treatment or cure for 

 the Isle of Wight disease; but it has been 

 suggested in the British Bee Journal that 

 traps might be used to catch the incoming 

 bees of colonies badly infected, and then 

 giving young vigorous queens so that the 

 new young blood would take the place of 

 the old. If all the bees carrying the para- 

 site could be trapped out there would be a 

 possible chance that their successors might 

 be freed from the parasite. 



In the Bee World (British) reports have 

 shown that the destruction of all bees in 

 colonies affected with Isle of Wight disease, 

 and putting the brood and the queen in an 

 incubator until most of the brood emerges, 

 effects a cure. As only the adults are af- 

 fected, especially the flying bees, this looks 

 reasonable and in entire harmony with the 

 facts regarding the now known cause. It 

 is to be hoped that this cure will be abso- 

 lute. If so, it will be no more difficult to 

 apply than the cure for American foul 

 brood, based on the same principle of the 

 removal of the infected material. 



