TENNESSEE AGRICULTURE 277 



BROOD DISl^AS^S OF BB]eS. 



By Dr. J. S. Ward, State Inspectors of Apiaries. 



There are three known diseases of the brood, two of them very 

 contagious, namely, "American Foul Brood" and "European Foul 

 Brood," while the third, called "pickled brood," or "Sacbrood," is an 

 infectious disease, and if allowed to go without attention sometimes 

 causes serious losses. 



AMERICAN FOUL BROOD. 



American Foul Brood is a disease caused by bacteria known to 

 Scientists as Bacillus Larvae. It reaches the healthy young larvae by 

 means of infected food fed to them by the nurse bees. In most cases 

 the larva dies zvhen nearly ready to seal itp, and most of the cells con- 

 taining infected larvae are capped. The dead larva softens, settles 

 to the lower side of the cell in a shapeless mass, at first white or yel- 

 lozv, changing to coffee-color and brown. At this 'stage it becomes 



Fig. 3. — The ropiness of American foul brood. (Orig-idal.) 



glutinous, so that if it is picked with a toothpick the contents will 

 rope out half an inch or so when the pick is slowly withdrawn. It 

 adheres to the cell so it cannot be hfted out entire. It has the odor 

 of a poor quality of glue. When the larva dries it forms a tightly 

 adhesive scale, of very dark brown color, which cannot be removed 

 without tearing the cell wall. 



"Pupae also may die of this disease, in which case they, too, dry 

 down (fig. 2, 0, d), become ropy, and have the characteristic odor and 

 color. The tongue frequently adheres to the upper side wall, and often 

 remains there even after the pupa has dried down to a scale. Younger 

 unsealed larvae are sometimes affected. Usually the disease attacks 

 only worker brood, but occasional cases are found in which queen and 

 drone brood are diseased." — (U. S. Dept. of Ag. Farmers' Bui. 442.) 



Where the infected larvae are capped the cappings turn a darker 

 color and become flat or sunken ; the workers, perceiving that something 

 is wrong, usually start to tear off the capping, but, discovering the 



