98 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



brood than any other cause, except excessive swarming. Prob- 

 ably the infection is a sequence of excessive swarming, since the 

 disease is known to readily affect weak colonies. Again, the con- 

 sequences are fatal in so large a percentage of cases because of 

 the prevalence of black bees in most of the apiaries conducted 

 by non-commercial beekeepers and novices. The writer has 

 visited hundreds of bee yards in spring, where the beekeepers 

 were discouraged with the outlook and believed the cutting of 

 timber had ruined the territory for bee pasture. Examination 

 of combs showed in many cases that the death of colonies was 

 often due to European foulbrood, which disease may at least be 

 retarded by the introduction of pure Italian queens. For this 

 reason, it is the opinion of the writer and many of the beekeepers 

 of this region, that extension work in bee culture is more vital 

 to the immediate future of beekeeping, than is inspection work. 

 When American foulbrood shall have made some inroads into 

 the territory, inspection work will be necessary and probably 

 more successful, for the preceding educational work which may 

 have been done by the extension men and women. 



American Foulbrood. 



Practically speaking, widespread infections from this bee dis- 

 ease in the South are rare. Fortunately too, the few states where 

 American foulbrood continually crops out in a minor fashion, 

 have an adequate inspection service. This is true especially of 

 Texas and it is the opinion of the writer, that so long as the 

 present system of handling bee diseases in vogue in Texas is 

 contmued, beekeepers there will have nothing to fear from Amer- 

 ican foulbrood. The inspection work in Texas has been by areas, 

 in counties where the beekeepers thought enough of their pro- 

 fession to organize. Some cases of the disease have been found 

 in Tennessee and Kentucky and some in West Virginia. In 

 Tennessee a good inspection service is maintained at this writing, 

 in charge of J. M. Buchanan, Franklin. Charles A. Reese at 

 Charleston was in charge of the work in West Virginia (now 

 abandoned), and his work was entirely successful. Wilmon 

 Newell and staff are doing good work in Florida. No other 



