APPEARANCE OF AFFECTED LARV^ 217 



of several large apiaries situated near together. At times it 

 seems very mild and will even disappear of itself. At other 

 times large numbers of bees will die in a very short period of 

 time. The illustration (Fig. 104) shows a case where but thir- 

 teen colonies remained of one hundred and five in eight months. 

 The disease was not known to be present until two weeks after 

 the bees were taken from the cellar in spring, only about six 

 weeks before the picture was taken. As the winter loss was 

 unusually heavy it is presumed that the disease was present when 

 the bees went into winter quarters. 



American and European foul brood, it would seem, can be 

 compared to smallpox and ityphoid fever in the human race. 

 American foul brood, like typhoid fever, requires a common 

 source of infection, in the case of the bee disease the honey, 

 in the case of the human ailment milk, water, etc. European 

 foul brood seems to spread among bees as readily as malignant 

 smallpox among the human race, actual contact apparently not 

 being necessary to the spread of either. ITowever, until recently 

 little was known about European foul brood and it is entirely 

 probable that later discoveries will add much to our knowledge of 

 the disease. 



Appearance of Affected Larvae. — European foul brood 

 attacks the larva? at a much earlier stage than does American 

 foul brood and but a small part of the diseased brood is ever 

 capped (Fig. 105). In bad cases large numbers of the larvae 

 will be found to be dead and misshapen while still white as 

 shown in the plate. Later they turn yellow and finally quite 

 dark in color. There is seldom any apparent ropiness in the 

 dead tissue as in the case of the other form of foul brood. Sel- 

 dom is there a noticeable odor such as is so apparent in advanced 

 stages of the American type of the disease. Queen and drone 

 larvae are usually attacked early. This is one of the common 

 tests in early stages for determining which disease be present. 

 The disease is usually more destructive in spring and early 

 summer. 



