Isle of Wight Disease in Hive Bees. 



25 



apiary number, A9. Next day a letter was received from Bayble stating that 

 the other stock of driven bees had begun to crawl on the same day. The 

 symptoms in both cases were those of Isle of Wight disease ; bees emerged 

 on the alighting board and did not fly, some eventually fell off the board on 

 to the ground where they collected in little clusters, finally dying of cold and 

 hunger. Bees of this stock continued to die in this way at Stornoway till 

 2nd March. On this date the survivors were killed and the hive and ground 

 disinfected. Caustic soda was spread upon the soil, which was then turned 

 over, and all the combs and quilts were burned. The Bayble stock was also 

 killed off and the hive disinfected. 



Second Attack. Two Stocks affected, BU, CIS.— On the 6th October 1911, 

 two other stocks in Stornoway Apiary began to crawl. On this occasion, 

 samples of living bees were sent for diagnosis to Dr G-raham-Smith, Cambridge, 

 who reported "young stages of Nosema apis in both stocks." Spores were 

 apparently not observed, and it was not stated whether the examples seen 

 included intracellular forms. One of these stocks (B14) consisted of American 

 Golden Bees, and in their case crawling ceased after a few days ; on 14th 

 October they were busily engaged once more carrying in pollen. They 

 wintered in excellent condition, built up rapidly in spring, and never showed 

 any further sign of Isle of Wight disease. They were not again tested for 

 Nosema. Unfortunately the queen died of old age, 15th June 1912, and the 

 strain became extinct. The noteworthy feature in the case of this stock is 

 that the symptoms, although associated with the presence of Nosema, 

 disappeared in a few days. 



The other stock (C13) which consisted of black bees, became rapidly worse, 

 and, on 12th October 1911, it was destroyed. These two stocks stood side 

 by side. 



Dl 



G9 



B14 



C13 



Arrangement of Stocks, October 1911. 



Third Attach. One Stock, No. Dl.—Crawlmg bees were first observed in 

 front of this stock, the position of which is indicated above, on 20th January 

 1912. The bees were a black stock, numerous, and having abundance of 

 natural stores. It had wintered in excellent condition. Samples were again 

 sent to Cambridge, and Dr Graham-Smith reported the presence of all stages 

 of Nosema. 



