32 



An examination of one of these crawlers will show the 

 abdomen greatly distended. This is due to a retention of the 

 faeces, which the insect seems powerless to void. The slightest 

 external pressure will cause a rupture of the intestine and 

 the issue of its accumulated contents. The discharge is 

 usually of a dirty yellow colour, but the colour will be related 

 to the kind of pollen which the bee had previously consumed. 

 Occasionally the sick bees are able to excrete a portion of the 

 faeces, in which case the front of the hive becomes spotted with 

 the voidings. This gives the appearance of severe dysentery — 

 a malady, however, which does not appear to have any relation 

 to the Isle of Wight disease. 



The interior of the hive presents no abnormal appearance 

 in the early stages of the disease. There is no soiling of the 

 combs, and the whole hive appears to be in a healthy and 

 flourishing condition. But with the advance of the disease the 

 soiling of the combs attracts attention. The heavy mortality 

 among the workers so seriously reduces the numbers that the 

 temperature of the hive is lowered and part of the brood dies 

 from lack of heat. After the extinction of the other members 

 of the colony, the queen herself dies. It has been suggested 

 that her death is due to exhaustion and not to the disease. 

 This aspect of the subject, however, will receive attention in 

 a future report. 



In winter months the presence of Isle of Wight disease in 

 bee colonies is difficult to determine, for now the bees are in 

 a semi-dormant condition, and are mostly confined to the hive. 

 They rarely fly except on mild days, and consequently there 

 is little opportunit)' for satisfactorily diagnosing the disease. 

 To< maka an inspection now would necessitate opening the 

 hive, and this act, on account of the lowering of the tem- 

 perature, would be harmful to the bees and to what brood 

 there may be. And so, even if the disease could be recognised, 

 no steps can now be taken to check its course. 



The beekeeper should know that a colony of bees may enter 

 into winter quarters apparently healthy, strong in numbers, 

 headed by a young queen, and with plenty of food reserves, 

 and yet the total colony may die out during the winter months 



