UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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|fe BULLETIN No. 671 j 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



June 21, 1918 



THE DIAGNOSIS OF BEE DISEASES BY 

 LABORATORY METHODS. 



By Akthue H. McCray, 



Apicultural Assistant, 



and 



G. F. White, 



Expert Engaged in the Investigation of Bee Diseases. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



Laboratory methods 



Diseases to be diagnosed . 



European foulbrood. 



American foulbrood . 



Page. 



1 

 2 

 4 

 4 



Page. 

 Diseases to be diagnosed— Continued. 



Sacbrood 10 



Other abnormal conditions of the brood. 11 



Nosema disease 13 



Literature 14 



INTRODUCTION. 



Already some of the States have established laboratories for the 

 diagnosis and investigation of the diseases of bees. The number of 

 State laboratories where a rapid and accurate diagnosis of suspected 

 material can be made will no doubt increase in the future in pro- 

 portion as State laws for bee-disease inspection and control are insti- 

 tuted and perfected. Inspectors realize that there will be always 

 some suspected brood and many conditions among adult bees which 

 can not be diagnosed in the field, but which will require laboratory 

 methods for diagnosis. In addition to the demands made by in- 

 spectors for the examination of suspected material, there will be 

 numerous independent requests from beekeepers. 



During the past several years the writers have examined a large 

 number of specimens of suspected brood and bees sent to the Bureau 

 of Entomology, and have developed and perfected methods and 

 technique in the diagnosis of the known diseases of bees which, it is 

 believed, will prove valuable to others. It is the aim of this paper 

 to present these methods of diagnosis for the benefit of those who 

 may engage in similar work. 



47164°— Bui. 671—18 1 



