919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



299 



sible sources for the spread of the 

 disorder. 



Diagnosis of Nosema-disease 



With very little experience bee- 

 keepers can diagnose Nosema-disease 

 satisfactorily at the apiary. A weak 

 colony, in the spring of the year, 

 should be suspected. Since there are 

 many conditions which cause colonies 

 to become weak, a further examina- 

 tion is always necessary. This is done 

 by catching and removing the stom- 

 achs of about 10 field bees of the col- 

 ony, and noticing the appearance of 

 these in a way which has already 

 been described in this communication. 

 Often fewer than 10 bees are suffi- 

 cient, while sometimes it is desirable 

 to examine a larger number. Fairly 

 strong colonies may contain a consid- 

 erable number of Nosema-infected 

 bees. This occurs, however, less fre- 

 quently than with weak colonies. Not 

 uncommonly one may find a small 

 percentage of diseased bees in colo- 

 nies which otherwise appear entirely 

 healthy. 



The Chances of Recovery in Nosema- 

 disease 



As has been pointed out above, 

 there is a strong tendency for a No- 

 sema-infected colony to recover from 

 the infection. Some colonies die, but 

 fortunately the percentage is small. 

 If more than one-half of the bees of 

 a healthy colony, upon examination, 

 are found to be Nosema-infected, the 

 chances that the colony will recover 

 from the disease are decidedly unfa- 

 vorable; if practically all of them are 

 diseased, the colony will surely die; if 

 less than one-half of the bees are 

 diseased, the progress is fair for re- 

 covery; if only a small percentage 

 are diseased, death of the colony is 

 not to be expected. 



It seems probable, from the obser- 

 vations thus far made that the losses 

 sustained from the death of colonies 

 does not represent the major losses 

 to the beekeeper in Nosema-disease. 

 The weakness produced, in colonies 

 that live, may be the larger factor, 

 the colonies being weakened at a time 

 when it is especially desired that they 

 should be strong. In this respect the 

 disease is more like sacbrood than 

 the foulbroods. 



Conclusions 



If the beekeeper has gotten the 

 view of Nosema-disease which the 

 writer has attempted to convey by 

 these discussions, he has gained the 

 following impressions : 



Nosema-disease is no new disease, 

 but one which has been among bees 

 for a very long time. 



The disease may cause the death of 

 colonies or may only weaken them. 



Like sacbrood, it is very widely dis- 

 tributed. 



It does not produce the heavy 

 losses, in infected apiaries, which are 

 common for the foulbroods. In this 

 respect, also, the disorder is like sac- 

 brood. 



The losses resulting from Nosema- 

 disease are greater than those from 

 sacbrood. It is, therefore, a disease 

 of considerable economic importance. 



It is caused by a parasite (Nosema 

 apis) which attacks the stomach of 

 the adult bee. 



Workers, queens and drones are 



fornica.)) This species is reported as 

 yielding considerable honey in some 

 localities in California and some bee- 

 keepers think it is poisonous to the 

 bees. 



The buckeye is widely mentioned as 

 a honey-plant, though there are few 

 localities where it is sufficiently 

 abundant to be important as a source 

 of surplus. — F. C. P. 



f the Buckeye, or Horse Chestnut 



susceptible to infection, the brood is 

 not. 



Outside the living bee, the germ 

 dies in a rather brief period, and is 

 quite susceptible to heat and other 

 disinfectants. 



Neither drones, queens, simple 

 contact with infected bees, drifting 

 bees, hives, bee supplies in general, 

 nor flowers, are to be feared as fruit- 

 ful sources of infection in the dis- 

 ease. 



Diseased colonies po:sess a strong 

 tendency to recover from the infec- 

 tion, without attention from the api- 

 arist. 



There is much yet to be learned 

 about Nosema-disease. The facts 

 which have already been determined, 

 however, are sufficient to make it 

 possible for the practical beekeeper 

 to devise methods, for the treatment 

 of the disease, which will be both ef- 

 ficient and economical. 



Those who are interested in read- 

 ing further of the studies that have 

 been made on the disorder may find 

 Bulletin 780, of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, of some in- 

 terest. 



The Buckeye or Horse-Chestnut 



THE buckeye or horse-chestnut, 

 (Aesculus) is widely distributed 

 and well known because of the 

 poisonous properties of the peculiar 

 nut-like fruit, everywhere called 

 buckeye. There are several species, 

 with minor differences. The photo- 

 graph is of the blossoms of the Ohio 

 buckeye ( Aesculus glabra.) This 

 species occurs from New England 

 west to Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, 

 and south to Georgia, Alabama, and 

 east Texas. There is a species com- 

 mon on the Pacific Coast, known as 

 the California buckeye (Aesculus cali- 



Habits and American Foulbrood 

 Treatment 



By Arthur C. Miller 



I WONDER just what makes men 

 slaves to apparatus, why they 

 use certain implements when 

 they can do better without them? 

 In "shaking" for the treatment of 

 American foulbrood how often we 

 find the first shaking made onto a 

 full set of frames all nicely fitted out 

 with foundation starters. And, oh 

 how often, it is hard to change the 

 operator from such practice and get 

 him to use a simple box or a hive 

 without frames, letting the bees build 

 onto the cover such bits of comb as 

 they will. 



For the second shaking, full sheets 

 of foundation should be used, with 

 frames carefully wired, the wires 

 stretched so tight that they will hum 

 when struck, and for best results in 

 rapid resumption of comb construc- 

 tion and brood rearing the founda- 

 tion should be painted with melted 

 'wax (the Vogeler process). 



In addition it is exceedingly good 

 practice to give food to the colony 

 after the second shaking and for this 

 purpose candy or soft sugar is 

 preferable to syrup. Most any of 

 the soft, moist, cream-colored sugars 

 work well in a division-board feeder. 

 "Raw" sugar is even better when it 

 can be procured. Candy suitable for 

 the purpose is simply granulated su- 

 gar and water boiled until it will 

 make a hard candy. A cupful of good 

 honey to each ten pounds of sugar 

 and boiled in improves it. Such 

 candy is poured into shallow cake 

 pans, filling them to one quarter of 

 an inch from edge. Leave the candy 

 in the pans and invert one or more 

 on top of frames and the bees will 

 lick away at under surface until it is 

 all consumed. Leaving the candy in 

 the pans prevents the absorption of 

 moisture except where bees can lick 

 it off and the candy stays firm and 

 solid until consumed. 



The food is always an advantage 

 after shaking the second time, for 

 the bees' sacs are empty, and if ad- 

 verse weather condition arise the 

 colony is not only saved from disas- 

 ter but has a reserve store of food 

 which maintains the work at a 

 steady pressure. 



The painting process not only pre- 

 vents stretched foundation but it en- 

 ables one to use very thin founda- 

 tion. Standard brood foundation 

 runs about 7 L sheets to the pound, 

 and at present prices costs 10c per 

 sheet, or $1 for ten frames. Light 

 brood running 12 L sheets to the 

 pound costs 7}/>c per sheet, or 75c 

 for ten. 



Providence, R. I. 



