6 Department Circular 287, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



It should be recognized, however, that if for any reason bees are un- 

 able to fly during the period of the year when brood is being reared, 

 feces rapidly accumulate, so that there is no necessary significance 

 in their accumulation. The presence of " crawlers " seems to be the 

 only fairly constant symptom observed in the severe cases; in fact, 

 there are no positive symptoms and there may be no external sign of 

 any sort, so that the only way to be sure of the presence of the dis- 

 ease at present is through the finding of mites by microscopic exami- 

 nation. The crawling bees are often found some distance from the 

 hive. Rennie (51, 52, 53) emphasizes the fact that crawling is an 

 advanced synrptoni and that the disease may exist in a colony or 

 apiary for months before this symptom is seen. 



The crawling of bees in front of the hive has also been recorded 

 in almost all cases of the so-called bee paralysis observed by Ameri- 

 can beekeepers and for virtually all of the known affections of adult 

 bees. Whether this indication of abnormality is any more prevalent 

 for the Isle of Wight disease than for most cases of paralysis can 

 not be stated with certainty, but to one familiar with severe cases of 

 bee paralysis but not with the Isle of Wight disease it would seem 

 doubtful. Rennie (54) reports the similarity of symptoms in the 

 various diseases of aclult bees in England. The shaking of the 

 abdomen, sometimes so prominent a symptom in bee paralysis, and 

 the hurried climbing of grass blades in an effort to take wing are not 

 commonly given as symptoms of the Isle of Wight disease, although 

 they have been recorded (54)- 



CONFUSION DUE TO CHARACTER OF SYMPTOMS. 



Since almost the same symptoms have been described for all known 

 diseases of adult bees, as well as for cases of arsenical poisoning, it 

 must be concluded that information on the identification or distribu- 

 tion of any of these diseases based only on diagnosis by symptoms 

 is utterly valueless. Some American beekeepers were formerly 

 led from descriptions of symptoms to believe that the Isle of Wight 

 disease is present in the United States, and more recently certain 

 European beekeepers have arrived at the same conclusion. On this 

 unfounded assumption they reason (19) that the methods of treat- 

 ment for aclult bee diseases used in some cases in the United States 

 should be helpful in the treatment of the Isle of Wight disease. 

 If then, as appears to have been the case, there is only a slight mani- 

 festation of the disease for a day or two after the treatment, they 

 feel justified in rushing into print with this method as a recom- 

 mended treatment for Isle of Wight disease. Rennie has repeatedly 

 warned beekeepers against such reasoning, but apparently without 

 avail. The treatments that have been described for bee paralysis in 

 the Uuited States were used without knowledge of its cause, and 

 such treatments have been of doubtful benefit at best, so that it can 

 not be recommended that European beekeepers look to this country 

 for methods of controlling the Isle of Wight disease. 



REMEDIES. 



It is natural that in an epidemic such as has occurred in Great 

 Britain a great variety of remedies should be tried and recommended. 

 Extravagant claims have been made for certain apparently worthless 



