42 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
rely only upon the surrounding structures being stained and the spore, 
left untouched, appearing asa clear structure. 
The number of bees examined from each stock was, on an average, 
about eight. Where more than eight bees were available from a stock, then 
these were also examined. 
The amount of infection was reported as slight, heavy, or very heavy, 
according to the number of spores found. 
Where young stages were found, these were recorded as such, but it 
was rare to find a heavy young stage infection without the presence of a ~ 
fairly heavy infection with spores. 
The routine here described was that followed by Dr Innes in the 
laboratory, in all cases of bees which were sent for Nosema diagnosis 
from the Lewis stocks, from apiaries on Deeside, and several other 
districts. Examinations of bees for Nosema by the other workers was 
mostly, though not exclusively, confined to the searching for spores. These 
were obtained by examining bees in the fresh state and by the pulping 
method described later. Miss Simpson and Dr Rennie also prepared a 
number of sections of the alimentary canals of Vosema-infected bees 
(apparently normal in behaviour), of Isle of Wight diseased bees, and of 
healthy bees, some of which are utilised in illustration of the present work. 
DIAGNOSIS OF NOSEMA INFECTION IN DEAD BEES. 
Graham-Smith, Fantham and Porter, in their report upon Nosema as the 
cause of Isle of Wight disease, express the opinion that dead bees are 
unsuitable for Nosema diagnosis (p. 41). This opinion is reflected in the 
Board of Agriculture Leaflet, where it is stated that “it is not possible as 
arule to express any opinion from an examination of dead bees.” Leaving 
out of the question altogether the problem of Isle of Wight disease, and 
considering only that of Nosema infection, this statement has not been 
borne out by our experience. Undoubtedly, the most reliable means of 
diagnosis of Nosema infection is the recognition of the spores, and our 
experience has been that these are recoverable from bees at least as long as 
seven months after their death. We have in our possession at the present time 
(January 1916), a number of dead bees which were artificially infected 
with Nosema early in June 1915, in which we are still able to obtain spores, 
not only from numbers pulped together, but readily from individual bees. 
Graham-Smith, Fantham and Porter are of opinion that spores are not 
often formed in the warmer months of the year. They state: “ Undoubtedly 
