BULLETIN 190.] [MAY, 1911 



Ontario Department of Agriculture 



FRUIT BRANCH 



Bee Diseases in Ontario 



Much dissatisfaction with beekeeping as a business is caused by so- 

 called "bad luck," which is really due to a definite bee disease which any 

 bee-keeper can learn to cure. Bees are quite as liable to disease as any 

 other live-stock, and to be able to treat such disease intelligently is quite 

 necessary to success. 



Bee-moths are often blamed for the ravages due to disease ; but moths 

 never destroy a healthy normal colony, as they only feed on the deserted 

 combs after the bees are nearly all gone. Heavy winter losses can often 

 be attributed to disease. In fact, whenever a colony is not doing well the 

 exact cause of its failure should be carefully sought to make sure there 

 is no bacterial disease. 



- On the other hand, disease often makes its first appearance in the best 

 colonies in the apiary, because infection is usually carried by robbing, 

 and that is generally done by strong colonies. If not checked on the start 

 it soon spreads through the whole apiary, and from it to other apiaries 

 in the neighborhood. 



The inspectors of apiaries can do a great deal for the health of bees 

 in Ontario ; but to be of real value their work must be supplemented by 

 the earnest efforts of the individual beekeepers. Everyone should be his 

 own inspector, carefully examining every comb of every colony in the 

 apiary at least once a year, remembering that it is far better to detect 

 it on the start in strong colonies than to wait until they are practically 

 ruined and the disease has spread through the whole neighborhood. Only 

 one cell of infectious disease makes it necessary to treat even the best 

 colony in the apiary. And because one has kept bees for a number of 

 years without seeing a case of disease is no reason why it should not 

 make its appearance this year. Plenty of people have died of smallpox 

 after having escaped it for fifty years. 



When a case of infectious disease is suspected the beekeeper must 

 first notify the Minister of Agricuture, Toronto, Ont., who will send 

 word to the nearest inspector of apiaries ; but if the case cannot have 

 immediate attention the beekeeper should go ahead and treat the disease 

 according to directions given in this bulletin. 



