40 DISEASES OF BEES 



Mr. W. Herrod-Hempsall (Ministry of Agriculture), said that 

 he had listened with great interest to the papers, especially to 

 the excellent one by Jas. I. Hambleton, chief of the United States 

 Bee Culture Laboratory. He believed that we might eventually 

 be compelled to adopt the plan now being followed in that country. 

 When visiting the United States he had an opportunity to see the 

 terrible ravages caused by foul brood. This occasion gave an oppor- 

 tunity to address a solemn word of warning to beekeepers in the 

 British Isles. During the last three years foul brood had spread 

 to an alarming extent, indeed, in some districts, it is endemic and 

 a serious menace to the industry. He stated that he had inspected 

 apiaries in which all the colonies were affected with brood disease. 

 In England, Scotland and Wales to-day there are thousands of bee 

 colonies affected with brood disease. 



He went on to say that in the annual reports of beekeepers' 

 associations it is not unusual for the statement to be made that : 

 " no brood disease is present in the county." Such statements, 

 made in good faith, are misleading because one of the troubles we 

 are faced with is that many beekeepers are obsessed with the idea 

 that the presence of disease in their apiaries is a disgrace and a 

 reflection on their management. Consequently, when an outbreak 

 occurs, they conceal the fact from the association officials. One 

 must also take into account the large proportion of beekeepers who 

 are not members of an association, and from whom no information 

 is available as to the condition of their colonies. He, personally, 

 begged beekeepers, when in doubt about the health of their colonies, 

 not to be reticent, but to obtain the advice of a competent person 

 immediately. Rothamsted provided such advice. 



The fallowing note from Colonel Howorth, C.M.G., of Devon, 

 was read as he was unable to attend : " My original communica- 

 tion on the use of the Frow treatment for acarine disease was 

 published in the British Bee Journal, June 7th and 28th, 1928 ; since 

 then I have distributed some 30,000 leaflets describing my method. 

 I know of only one instance in which complete extermination of 

 the mites was not effected (I am satisfied with nothing less than 

 100 per cent, mortality among adult mites and their eggs, although 

 this entails some risk to the bees.) Mr. Frow's method differs 

 from mine in that he applies the treatment from above the bees, 

 whilst I, holding that the temperature is always lower and more 

 equable on the floor board, apply the remedy there. He also uses 

 a smaller dose and permits treatment during the brood-rearing 

 season, whilst I use a larger dose and place a section rack or shallow 

 below the brood-chamber, and have found that the brood of the 

 bee suffers during the treatment." 



The following notes with reference to " Bee Paralysis " have 

 been added since the Conference. 



