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



paper, since no cases of this disease are known to occur within the 

 United States and the writer has not had opportunity to study it 

 abroad. All quotations from writers in foreign languages are trans- 

 lations for which the present writer is responsible. 



The writer would respectfully request the cooperation of bee- 

 keepers in the United States and in foreign countries in furnishing 

 information regarding the Isle of Wight disease in any part of the 

 world, based on the finding of the mite which causes it. American 

 beekeepers are again urged to send for examination samples of all 

 adult bees which show any abnormality. Beekeepers of other coun- 

 tries may during the season of 1924 send such material to the Bee 

 Culture Laboratory, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, • D. C, 

 U. S. A., from any country where provisions are not made for such 

 investigations. For the benefit of foreign beekeepers not familiar 

 with the work of the bureau, it may be stated that it is not the policy 

 of the Bureau of Entomology to publish the names of those sending 

 beekeeping materials for examination. There is no charge for these 

 examinations. Correspondence is preferred in English, French, or 

 German. 



NATURE OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT DISEASE. 



In a previous publication of the bureau (•^), 1 in which the Isle 

 of Wight disease was discussed, the nature of the disease was not 

 described, since it was not anticipated at that time that the interest 

 in this subject would be so great. It seems desirable now to sum- 

 marize the observations on this disease and to correct certain errors 

 that have appeared in American beekeeping literature concerning it, 

 without any attempt to add any new facts concerning the disease. 

 No adequate discussion of this subject has been available to Ameri- 

 can beekeepers generally, and many inquiries have come to the 

 Bureau of Entomology concerning it. 



NAME OF THE DISEASE. 



The Isle of Wight disease, as it is commonly called, is also some- 

 times known in Great Britain as acarine disease, from the order name 

 (Acarina) of the mite which causes it. The latter name was given 

 to the disease by Rennie (5^) and is preferred by him. In German 

 these two names are translated as " Insel- Wight -Krankheit " and 

 " Milbenkrankheit," while in French, in addition to the translations 

 of the common names, acariose is sometimes used. The disease was 

 first recognized in 1904 in the Isle of Wight, hence the usual common 

 name, and in succeeding years was reported to have spread with great 

 rapidity throughout Great Britain. It is probable, however, that it 

 existed in England previous to its discovery on the Isle of Wight 

 (£9), and the Isle of Wight can not be considered as its place of 

 origin. The name of " Isle of Wight disease " is used in this paper 

 because it is better known to American beekeepers than " acarine dis- 

 ease." It is preferable, in the opinion of the writer, since it is not 

 descriptive. Descriptive names for brood diseases have proved con- 

 fusing and it was solely to avoid this confusion that the author 

 proposed the present generally accepted names for the two serious 

 brood diseases in 1906. 



1 Reference is made by number (italic) to " Literature cited," p. 27. 



