BEEKEEPING FOR CONNECTICUT. 



443 



American foul brood and while it is still curled up at the base of the cell. 

 A small percentage of larvae dies after capping, but sometimes quite 

 young larvae are attacked. Sunken and perforated cappings are sometimes 

 observed just as in American foul brood. The earliest indication of the 

 disease is a slight yellow or gray discoloration and uneasy movement of 

 the larva in the cell. The larva loses its well-rounded, opaque appearance 

 and becomes slightly translucent, so that the tracheae may become promi- 

 nent, giving the larvae a clearly segmented appearance. The larva is 

 usually flattened against the base of the cell, but may turn so that the 

 ends of Ihe larva are to the rear of the cell, ot may fall awayfrom the base. 

 Later the color changes to a decided yellow or gray and the translucency 

 is lost. The yellow color may be taken as the chief characteristic of this 



Figure 23. European foul brood: note the normal sealed cells; the 

 larvae affected by disease; the normal larva at age attacked by disease; 

 the dried-down larvae or scales. Three times natural size. (After Phillips, 

 Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture.) 



disease. The dead larva appears as a moist, somewhat collapsed mass, 

 giving the appearance of being melted. When the remains have become 

 almost dry, the tracheae sometimes become conspicuous again, this time 

 by retaining their shape, while the rest of the body content dries around 

 them. Finally ail that is left of the larva is a grayish-brown scale against 

 the base of the cell, or a shapeless mass on the lower side wall if the larva 

 did not retain its normal position. Very few scales are black. The scales 

 are not adhesive, but are easily removed, and the bees carry out a great 

 many in their efforts to clean house. 



"Decaying larvae which have died of this disease are usually not ropy 

 as in American foul brood, but a slight ropiness is sometimes observed. 

 There is usually little odor in European foul brood, but sometimes a sour 



