1906 



Gleanings in bee culture. 



1561 



affecting bees, including bee paralysis ami 

 pickled brood, so called. 



As a result of all this work, there is just 

 being published two important bulletins — 

 one oy Dr. White. Technical Series No. 14. 

 of the L'nited States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, entitled "Bacteria of the Apiary." 

 This relates to a technical discussion of the 

 general subject of bacteriology and its rela- 

 tion to the diseases of bees. 



The other bulletin. Circular No. 79. of the 

 L^nited States Department of Agriculture, is 

 by Dr. E. F. Phillips, entitled. ••The Brood 

 Diseases of Bees." This seems to be some- 

 what supplementary to the bulletin by Dr. 

 White, and deals with practical considera- 

 tions, fully describing the various diseases 

 and then entering into their treatment. 



I do not hesitate to state that these docu- 

 ments are two of the most impoi-tant that 

 have ever been put out by the Department 

 on apiculture, for they relate to the very 

 foundation of the whole business. There is 

 no use trying to disguise the fact th it Ijee 

 diseases in many parts have been getting 

 the upper hand of us. and now the authori- 

 ties at Washington are giving us material 

 aid: but Dr. Phillips and Dr. White have 

 gone even further. They called a conven- 

 tion of foul-brood inspectors from all parts 

 of the United States, the same being held 

 soon after the big convention of the National 

 Bee-keepers' Association that was held at 

 San Antonio. A report of this is given in 

 our next issue. 



Referring again to the bulletin by Dr. 

 White. I may state that the average bee- 

 keeper will not be able to make very much 

 out of the technical pax't of this paper. At 

 the same time, the amount of material placed 

 at the disposal of scientilic men generally 

 will be of immense value in stimulating fur- 

 ther investigation. 



Coming down to practical considerations. 

 Dr. White finds that there are two distinct 

 brood diseases, one more destructive than 

 the other. For some years back the bee in- 

 spectors in some parts of the country have 

 noted the same fact. In Europe it has been 

 repeatedly stated that there were two dis- 

 eases — one a mild and one a virulent form. 



The problem that devolved on Dr. White 

 was to discover the microlje of each disease. 

 His work was rendered more complicated, 

 not to say embarrassing, by the fact that, aft- 

 er repeated investigations, he could not con- 

 firm some of the work done by some of the 

 other bacteriologists. Dr. J. J. Mackenzie 

 and Dr. Harrison, both of Canada, reported 

 that they found Bacillus alvei in the diseased 

 matter of ordinary foul brood. Dr. Howard, 

 of Texas, claimed to have discovered the 

 real microbe of black brood, calling the same 

 Bacillus viilii: but. strangely enough. Dr. 

 White, who has given this subject more at- 

 tention and study, probably, than all the 

 rest of the investigators put together, was 

 unable to discover Bacillus milii in so-called 

 black brood: but he did find, and that, too, 

 repeatedly, the Bacillus alvei of Cheshire. 



When he announced his findings, in 190".2, it 

 produced more or less consternation in all 

 circles. But Dr. White continued his studies 

 the next year, only to confirm his previous 

 work. Since he has been in the employ of 

 the general govei'liment he has gone all over 

 his work again, and still finds the Bacillus 

 alvei in black brood, but not in foul brood 

 as we have known it in the United States. 

 In this latter he finds a new microbe which 

 he designates as Barillas larva'. Having, 

 therefore, found the germs of the two dis- 

 eases, the question then came up. "What 

 names shall l)e used?" The opinion of the 

 leading l)ee-keepers and foul-bi'ood inspect- 

 ors was sought by Dr. Phillips, and it was 

 finally decided to call black brood "Europe- 

 an " foul brood: and the ordinary foul brood, 

 with which we are best acquainted. ••Amer- 

 ican" foul brood. These were not so named 

 because of geographical considerations, for 

 both diseases are found in both countries. 

 But the disease caused hj Bacillus alvei was 

 named European foul brood because the mi- 

 crobe of that disease was first discovered in 

 Europe. The ordinary foul brood was nam- 

 ed American because the microbe of that dis- 

 ease was first discovered in America. 



The question might arise, "Why not have 

 retaineti the old names, black and foul 

 brood?" In the first place, black brood was 

 an old disease with an adopted name that 

 did n<it belong to it. The authorities "thought 

 best t(j call both diseases foul brood, which 

 they really are, because to call them any 

 thing else would result in complicating the 

 laws now in force which control the infectious 

 diseases of bees, and would serve no good 

 purpose." It will be understood, then, that 

 these names. Ameincan and European foul 

 lirood. have no reference to geographical dis- 

 tribution of the diseases. 



Dr. White has not yet located the microbe 

 of the so-called pickled brood nor of bee pa- 

 ralysis. These will doubtless be the subject 

 of further investigation. 



This bulletin can be obtained by applying 

 to the Superintendent of Documents. Wash- 

 ington, D. C, on the payment of ten cents. 

 Stamps will not be accepted. A ten-cent 

 piece can be slipped in a hole in a piece of 

 cardboard and sent safely. The other docu- 

 ment, the one that will be of the most prac- 

 tical value to the ordinary layman bee-keep- 

 er. Circular 79, by Dr. Phillips, will be sent 

 free, probably. 



BROOD DISEASES OF BEES, BY DR. E. F. 

 PHILLIPS. 



This is a pamphlet of five pages of matter. 

 While it does not pretend to be an extended 

 treatment of the general subject, it gives all 

 that is necessary to know. In the descrip- 

 tion of the distinctive symptoms of the two 

 diseases. American and European foul brood, 

 I can not do better than to quote direct from 

 the bulletin. 



AMERICAN FOUL BROOD. 



American foul brood (often caUed s-'mply " foul 

 brood") is distributed through all parts of the United 

 States, and from the symptoms published in European 



