IMMS, JUNE, 1907. 79 
it he finds associated Bacillus brandenburgiensis in 66 cases and 
Bacillus alvei in one case. 
3. He found Bacillus alvet in 11 cases of diseased brood. The 
majority of these samples probably were from apiaries affected with 
Kuropean foul brood. 
4. He observed and cultivated a species which he named Strepto- 
coccus apis. This species, he states, belongs to the pneumococcus 
group and is easy of cultivation. In 10 samples in which Strepto- 
coccus apis was found Bacillus alvet was found in 8. 
5. He states that he had not reached a final conclusion concerning 
the relation between the microorganisms and the disease encountered. 
Imus, JUNE, 1907. 
The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries of Great Britain requested 
Mr. A. D. Imms, of Christ College, Cambridge, to make a study of 
the cause and nature of a disorder among bees. References to this 
disorder have been made in the last f w years as the Isle of Wight 
disease. Imms' made a report on his work in 1907. 
From this report an idea of the rapid losses which were attributed 
to the disease can be obtained. It is stated that the disease was so 
prevalent that it seemed almost impossible to keep a colony healthy 
for 12 months. Seventy colonies were reduced to 8 in two years. 
One bee keeper lost 20 colonies out of 22. Three other bee keepers 
in the same district lost their entire apiaries, consisting of 12, 8, and 
4 colonies, respectively. Another bee keeper lost over 50 colonies 
and about a dozen other bee keepers had no bees left. © 
Imms gives the following in his description of the symptoms of the 
disease: 
The earliest noticeable symptom of the disease is the inability of the affected bees 
to fly more than a few yards without alighting. As the disease progresses, the bees 
can only fly a few feet from the hive and then drop and crawl about aimlessly over 
the ground. They are often to be seen crawling up grass stems, or up the supports 
of the hive, where they remain until they fall back to the earth from sheer weakness, 
and soon afterwards die. In a badly infected stock great numbers of bees are to be 
seen crawling over the ground in front of the hives, frequently massed together in 
little clusters, while others remain on the alighting board. If the hives be opened, 
numbers of diseased individuals will be often met with inside. They are found 
clustered together around the queen and show very little inclination for movement 
until disturbed and are entirely unable to fly. Badly diseased individuals show very 
little inclination for stinging; those that are less severely attacked often sting very 
actively. 
If a badly diseased bee be carefully examined it will be seen to have lost its power 
of flight, and it crawls about with the hinder extremity of the body dragging on the 
ground; frequently it walks about with its wings ‘‘out of joint,’’ the hind wings pro- 
truding obliquely upwards and above the anterior pair. The only other external 
symptom of the disease is seen in the abdomen, which is frequently distended beyond 
1Imms, A. D., June, 1907. Report on a disease of bees in the Isle of Wight. Journal of the Board of 
Agriculture, Vol. XIV, No. 3, pp. 129-140, 4 figs. 
