SOME BEE DISEASES. 



Joseph Tinsley, B.B.K.A.(lst Class), S.B.A. (Expert), 

 Lecturer on Beekeeping ( West of Scotland College of Agriculture). 



Op all the diseases with which the beekeeper has to contend, probably 

 the most common is that known as Foul Brood. The disease has 

 been so named because of the foul smell which emanates from the dead 

 brood. But as death of the brood, even when accompanied by 

 putrefactive changes, may be due to different causes, the name is a 

 general one. In this country the term Foul Brood is commonly 

 applied to three different diseases, viz., European Foul Brood, caused 

 by Bacillus alvei; American Foul Brood, caused by Bacillus larva; 

 and Sac Brood. In the case of Sac Brood the causative agent has not 

 yet been determined. 



Foul Brood (Bacillus alvei). — Before we proceed to examine this 

 disease in detail it may be well to recall the social conditions under 

 which bees live. The rapid manner in which the infection is trans- 

 mitted will then be the more readily appreciated. In the first place, 

 a colony of bees varies in number from 20,000 to 40,000 individuals, 

 and yet takes up relatively little space. Again, all the cells in the 

 hive — those in which the young hatch out and those in which the 

 honey is stored — are made from wax elaborated by the bees them- 

 selves. Thirdly, food is prepared in the bodies of the nurse bees for 

 the sustenance of the larvae, while during exceptional periods food is 

 conveyed from the workers to the queen direct. Finally, the cleanli- 

 ness of the hive is effected by the workers themselves carrying out of 

 the home any objectionable material. It will thus be seen how easily 

 a disease of an infectious nature spreads in a colony of bees, and how 

 important it is that the beekeeper should be able to diagnose all 

 diseases in their initial stages in order to prevent rapid spreading 

 and obviate financial loss. 



Symptoms. — If we examine a normal brood comb we will find 

 eggs, larvae, and brood in all stages of development. Close inspection 

 will show that eggs newly deposited by the queen stand upright in 

 the cell. On the second day these same eggs rest at an angle of 

 45 degrees. On the third day each develops into a small grub curled 

 up like the letter " C." These grubs are pearly white in colour, and 



