38 



without food, by which tim« all the honey they may have 

 taken with them will have been consumed, and such of the 

 bees as are diseased will have died. If the bees are confined 

 in a skep, the latter should be placed mouth upwards while 

 in the cellar or other cool place. At the end of the period of 

 starvation the bees should be hived intc_ a moveable comb 

 hive in the same manner as a swarm. They are then fed 

 for at least a week on syrup to which as much Napthol Beta 

 as can be heaped on a threepenny piece has been added to 

 every pound of white cane sugar used; the Napthol Beta 

 may be dissolved in methylated spirit, sweet spirit of nitre, 

 or whisky, and added to the syrup while warm but not hot. 

 If a swarm box is used it should be disinfected by scorching 

 when empty, and if a skep, it should be burnt. In both 

 these cases the bees which die during treatment should be 

 burnt. 



Note. — In the case of mild attacks disinfection or fumiga- 

 tion may be resorted to with success, Po'rmaldehyde being 

 the chief agent used. To accomplish this, tack a sponge or 

 piece of flannel on the back of the division board and soak 

 this every six days with 1^ oz., 40 per cent. Formaldehyde, 

 at the same time keeping a continuous supply of two balls 

 of Napthaline in the brood chamber of the hive. In attempt- 

 ing these remedial measures, however, or other remedial 

 measures of the nature described above, it would be desirable, 

 wherever such help can be procured, to seek the advice of 

 an expert bee-keeper. 



DISEASES OF ADULT BEES. 



Much attention has recently been paid to diseases of adult 

 The term " Isle of Wight Disease " has become 

 ambiguous, as it appears to cover two distinct diseases: — 



(1) Nosema Disease, or Microsporidiosis, caused by a 



protozoon, Nosema apis (Zander); 



(2) Acarine Disease, caused by Tarsoiiem^ts Woodi (E«nnie). 

 From time to time other diseases have been reported from 



various parts of the world, but not much is known as to their 

 causes and they do not appear to be of much importance in 

 this country. 



Nosema Disease (Microsporidiosis). 



In the first investigations on the disease sometimes called 

 Isle of Wight Disease, it was supposed that Nosema Apis was 

 the causal agent. Recent investigations, however, have shown 

 that this is not the case but that Nosema is a separate disease. 



Nosem,a disease is not confined to the British Islands, but 

 has been found in Switzerland, Italy, Australia., America, 

 Canada, Germany and Denmark. This goes to show that the 



