Fantham, Porter, Maiden, and G-. W. Bullamore, was pub- 

 lished as Supplement No. 8 to the Journal, and was, in effect, 

 an interim report on the investigation, the final results being 

 published as Supplement No. 10 to the Journal of the Board 

 of Agriculture, July, 1913. References to the subject were 

 also made in the Report of the Intelligence Division of the 

 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, Part II, for the years 

 1909-12. 



In his report of 1909, Dr. Maiden ascribes this disease to a 

 bacillus (Bacillus pestiformis apis), but in the two papers 

 published by Dr. Graham Smith and his collaborators the 

 disease is definitely stated to be due to a parasitic protozoon 

 (Nose-ma apis). In the 1913 report it is stated : " No species 

 of bacteria constantly associated with the Isle of Wight disease 

 has been found, and B. pestiformis apis, which is frequently 

 present in diseased stocks and was at one time thought to be 

 the causal agent, is not pathogenic in pure culture. 

 Bacteria, however, may play an important secondary part in 

 producing the symptoms when the resisting powers have been 

 lowered by the action of Nosema." 



The disease has more recently been investigated in Scotland 

 by Dr. J. Rennie, of Aberdeen University, and Mr. J. Anderson; 

 M.A., B.Sc, of the Aberdeen College of Agriculture. As a 

 result of considerable experiment and investigation, they 

 conclude that the causative agent is not Nosema apis. While 

 admitting that spores of Nosema apis may frequently be 

 observed in the bodies of diseased bees, yet they believe that 

 it is not the direct cause of the disease, and that the real 

 source of the trouble is to be found in some other factor which 

 has not yet been (determined. 



The origin of the Isle of Wight disease has also been made 

 the subject of inquiry by the Beekeeping Department of the 

 West of Scotland Agricultural College. While we do not hold 

 ourselves committed to either of the above views, it certainly 

 does not appear to us that Nosema apis is the universal cause 

 of the disease familiarly known as the Isle of Wight Bee 

 Disease. After a thorough examination of the bodies of 

 thousands of bees which have undoubtedly perished from the 



