47 



Hi'o [laiwlysis in ii,>(, a ciiuiinim disease in cihiI cliiiiaU's, Iml, there are a few rejiurts 

 of its ueeun-eiiee in (lie I'i'ovincc. 'I'he sick liees l.mk lila(^k and greasy, an<l have a very 

 swollen ahdi.nieu. 'I'hey generally stagger an.und as if pai-alysed. The disease is 

 sii|i|Hised til he .'onstitulional, so the usual i^emedy is to destroy the old (jiieen and 

 introduce aniitlua- froiu a. hea.lth\- stork. 



Spring dwiuiUing is a term that may cover a Tuultituile of troid)les. There is 

 uiuloubte<lly a genu ilisease all'ecting the iutestines that sometimes develops in the 

 spring uuaitlis, hut not nuieh is iletinitely known abo\it it. Dwindling may, howe\er, 

 be due to lack of liees — that is, Tiot a. suliicient number to keej) the hive warm enough 

 tor bvood-raising, or from want of stores— either honey or pollen. 



liltOOI) DlSEASHS. 



The diseases that attack the larvie are American foul brood, European foul Ijrood, 

 and pickled brood. Both of the form.s of foul brood are very deadly, and once they 

 get a foothold in a district they will, if unchecked, wipe out every colony. The bees 

 themselves are unable to cope with them ; hence it is utterly futile for a bee-keeper to 

 conceal the fact that tliere is s(mietliing wrong with his bees, in the hope that the 

 trouble nuiy disappear. If left alone, a slight case of infection, once it gets headway, 

 will spread, not only over evei-y colony in that apiary, l>ut in the district. The writer 

 cannot speak tixi sti'ongly on this subject, especially since at the time of writing, the 

 Province is proViably free of these diseases. But continued immunity will be got by 

 vigilance only, for in the older settled regions of the Dominion and in simie parts to 

 the south of us a tierce tight is being carried on with foul brooil. This Province is free 

 because it is young. To keep it free, the introduction of contagion must be prevented 

 as far as possible. Every bee-keeper can help by following two simple rules : First, 

 not to biing into the Pr-oviuce any hi\'es of bees, empty' hives, or used appliances of 

 any kind ; second, never to feed honey to his bees unless he knows for certain that 

 it was produced in an apiar}' free of <lisease. The germs of foul brood are present in 

 the comt)s and honey,, so that the reasons of tlie above recommendations are very 

 apparent. Furtliermore, at the slightest hint of diseased larvie being found in his own 

 hi\'es or those of another, every bee-keeper is eainestly urged to at once notify the 

 Department of Agriculture, so that steps luay be taken for its eradication. 



AstERlCAN FotiL BkOOL). 



American f(jul brood has been so named because the germs that cause it were 

 first isolated on this continent. The symptoms of the disease are thus described by an 

 authoritv' : — 



"Some of the brood fails to hatch. Cappings here and there are sunken and 

 perforated at the centre. On opening one of these cells there will be found a dead 

 larva lying on one side of the cell, somewhat shrunken, and of a brownish colour, 

 varying all the way from a light pale brown to a dark brown. In the more advanced 

 stages the brown is of the colour of a coffee-berry after being roa.sted. In the incipient 

 .stages the brown is of the colour of the coffee we drink, when greatly diluted with 

 milk. But so far all these symptoms may be present as the result of chilled, over, 

 heated, or pickled brood. But t(j determine whether it is the real ropy foul brood, 

 run a toothpick into the deail larva and then draw it slowly out. If the maturated 

 mass adheres to the end of the pick like spittle, stretches out from one-half to one 

 inch, and finally the fine thread breaks when the pick is drawn back, it is probably a 

 case of f.jul brood. With all other forms of diseased brood, with perhaps the exception 

 of European foul brood, where the roping is never more than slight, this ropiness does 

 not appear; but with foul brood it is invariably present. There is another symptom 



