The Occurrence of Diseases of Adult Bees, II. 21 



It is strange that while the English Government imports a large quantity of 

 Italian queens to combat the disease, and with good success, the Americans 

 wish to keep it out by not importing. To tell the truth, the fear is justified by 

 the fact that the disease has been observed in the French Alps and in near-by 

 Italian apiaries, but since then it has not been seen further. 



The reference to the French Alps doubtless refers to the actual 

 finding of the mite in diseased bees from the French Alps, previ- 

 ously mentioned (49). It will be recalled that this first report from 

 France did not give the exact location of the apiary from which the 

 diseased bees were received, and in that notice no mention was made 

 of bees in neighboring apiaries, either in France or Italy, being 

 diseased. The disease is recorded by Bouvier (14) as occurring in 

 Hautes-Alpes, France. 



Since the publication of this brief mention of the disease in Italy, 

 several other articles (9, 10, Jp5) and notices have appeared, some of 

 them by Asprea, which would lead one to surmise that the authors 

 believe that the Isle of Wight disease does not occur in Italy, since 

 they usually urge that the Italian Government shall take steps to 

 prevent the introduction of the disease into that country. The Fe- 

 derazione Apistica Italiana has stated in a private communication 

 (Dec. 20, 1922) that they believe that it will be possible to furnish 

 full assurance of the absence of the Isle of Wight disease from Italy. 

 It may therefore be concluded that there is little reliable evidence 

 of the presence of the Isle of Wight disease in Italy, based on ex- 

 aminations of diseased bees. The chief reason for suspecting that 

 the disease may be present is the fact that it has definitely been 

 found in neighboring apiaries in France and Switzerland. 



From private sources the author has learned that the Italian 

 Ministry of Agriculture has been requested by the Federazione 

 Apistica Italiana to take steps to prohibit all importation of foreign 

 bees into Italy, in order to prevent the introduction of the Isle of 

 Wight disease into that country, and that in all probability a search 

 will be made in the near future to determine whether the mite is ac- 

 tually found in that country. The Italian beekeepers are evidently 

 and properly anxious to prevent the introduction of the disease and 

 to keep up the standing of their stock throughout the world. The 

 results of their efforts will be watched with keen interest in the 

 United States. Prof. Amyandro Ghigi of the University of Bo- 

 logna, reports in a private communication (April 18, 1923) that he 

 has examined bees from apiaries in that Province and has failed to 

 find any Tarsonemus woodi. 



DENMARK. 



In a private communication (April 30, 1923), Dr. L. Bahr reports 

 that Tarsonemus icoodi has not been found in Denmark through the 

 occurrence of the disease which it causes. No extensive inquiry has 

 been made on this subject in that country, but further investigations 

 will be made in the near future. Doctor Bahr further reports that 

 no record of the mite in Sweden or Norway has come to his attention. 



CZECHOSLOVAKIA. 



In a letter dated fTay 23, 1923, from Rev. Ivan F. Kitzberger, 

 Veleslavin, Czechoslovakia, editor of one of the leading bee journals 

 of that country, it is stated positively that the mite causing the 



