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How TO Control American Foulbrood 5 



is formed in the bottom of the cell which can hardly be re- 

 moved without breaking the cell Wall. In examining old 

 combs, for the presence of these stales, they should be tilted at 

 an angle so that the bottom of the cell can be observed and the 

 light reflected so that if any foreign substance is present it 

 can be seen. 



The disease gradually spreads through the brood nest and 

 normally becomes widespread by fall (Fig. 2). A colony 

 usually dies out completely by the end of the second season 

 or is so weak in bees that it dies out in the winter or early 

 spring. A very , distinct ' and disagreeable odor accompanies 

 severe cases. 



General Symptoms of European Foulbrood 



Larvae usually die in younger stages and before cells are 

 capped over. It is not uncornrrion for some cells to be capped 

 and punctured as in American foulbrood. This confuses the 

 beekeeper; and samples should be referred to some authority 

 for identification. The disease appears worse in late spring, 

 .and early sunimer when; hundreds and even thousands of 

 larvae may die in a' few weeks. The disease becomes less se-> 

 vere as the season advances and may be entirely eliminated by 

 the end of the season if there is a good honey flow. 



The dead larvae are a greyish yellow at first and later turn 

 to a chocolate brown. They melt down or lose shape and are 

 found mostly at the back of the cell. -The scales formed by the 

 dead larvae are mostly loose and can be removed, by the bees. 

 They can often be jarred out and can be picked out without 

 bri^aking or rupturing the cell wall. Older larvae break down 

 and cannot be removed entirely. The tissues do not string 

 out like the larvae in Aiherican foulbrood, but are chunky and 

 have the consistency of cornstarch pudding. 



General Symptoms of Sacbrood 



Sacbrood is not unlike. American foulbrood in some of its 

 stages and might easily be mistaken for it. The larvae die 

 after the cells are capped and the bees may remove the entire 

 capping or puncture the cells as in the case of American foul- 

 brood. There is a decided difiference with sacbrood, however,, 

 in that larger punctures are made and usually only one. 



