TENNESSEE AGRICULTURE 



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chief characteristic of this disease. The dead larva appears as a moist, 

 somewhat collapsed mass, giving the appearance of being melted. 

 Wlien the remains have become almost dry (F"ig. 4, c), the tracheae 

 sometimes become conspicuous again, this time h\ retaining their shape, 

 while the rest of the body content dries around them. Finally all that 

 IS left of the larva is a grayish-brown scale against the base of the 

 cell (Fig. 4, /, h), or a shapeless mass on the lower side wall if the 

 larva did not retain its normal position (Fig. 4, n, 0). \'ery few scales 

 are black. The scales are not adhesive, but are easily removed, and the 

 bees carry out a great many in their efforts to clean house. 



"Decaying larvae which have died of this disease are usually not 

 ropy as in American foul brood, but a slight ropiness is sometimes 



Fig. 5. — European fonl brood: a, j, k, normal sealed cells. 

 b, c, ci, e, g, t\ /, »i, p, q, larvas affected by disease; r, nor 

 mal larva at age attacked by disease; f, h, », o, dried- 

 down larvae or scales. Three times natural size. 

 ( Original.) 



observed. There is usually little odor in European foul brood, but 

 sometimes a sour odor is present, which reminds one of yeast fermenta- 

 tion. This disease attacks drone and queen larvae almost as quickly 

 as those of the workers. The tendency of this disease to attack queen 

 larvae is a serious drawback in treatment. Frequently the bees of a 

 diseased colony attempt to supersede their queen, but the larvae in the 

 queen cells often die, leaving the colony hopelessly queenless. The 

 colony is thus depleted very rapidly. 



