AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 137 



SYMPTOMS OF " BLACK " BROOD (BacUlus alvei). 



The following is the description given by Dr. E. F. 

 Phillips, in Circular No. 79, Bureau of Entomology, 

 Washington, D.C. : 



"Adult bees in infected colonies are not very active, but 

 do succeed in cleaning out some of the dried scales. This 

 disease attacks larvas earlier than does American foul-brood 

 (Bacillus larva), and a comparatively small percentage of 

 the diseased brood is ever capped; the diseased larvae which 

 are capped over have sunken and perforated cappings. The 

 larvae when first attacked show a small yellow spot on the 

 body near the head, and move uneasily in the cellr when 

 death occurs they turn yellow, then brown, and finally 

 almost black. Decaying larvag which have died of this 

 disease do not usually stretch out in a long thread when a 

 small stick is inserted and slowly removed; but occasionally 

 there is a very slight ' ropiness,' but this is never very 

 marked. The thoroughly dried larvae form irregular scales 

 which are not strongly adherent to the lower side wall of 

 the cell. There is very little odour from decaying larvae 

 which have died from this disease, and when an odour is 

 noticeable it is not the ' glue-pot ' odour of American foul- 

 brood, but more nearly resembles that of soured dead brood. 

 This disease attacks drone and queen larvae very soon after 

 the colony is infected. It is, as a rule, much more infec- 

 tious than American foul-brood and spreads more rapidly. 

 On the other hand, it sometimes occurs that the disease will 

 disappear of its own accord, a thing which the author never 

 knew to occur in a genuine case of American foul-brood. 

 European foul-brood is most destructive duripg the spring 

 and early summer, often almost disappearing in late sum- 

 mer and autumn." 



TREATMENT OF FOUL BROOD (Bacillus larvce). 



We have so abundantly proved the efficacy of the 

 McEvoy treatment of foul brood {Bacillus larvce), in 

 New Zealand, that I unhesitatingly recommend it to 

 every bee-keeper. 



Where the disease is so far advanced as to have left 

 few bees in the colony, then it will be safest to destroy 

 everything that has been in contact with it by fire. 

 " Tinkering " with such a colony would be both useless 

 and dangerous. 



