HOWARD, FEBRUARY 15, 1900. 45 
stating his own conception of the disease. In giving his own view 
of the symptoms of the disease, and in pointing out the differences 
which he supposed existed between ‘‘black brood,’ ‘‘foul brood,’’ 
and ‘‘pickled brood,’”’ the writings of Howard indicate, as is evi- 
denced by the following quotation, that he himself had a very inaccu- 
rate conception of the brood diseases of bees. 
SYMPTOMS AND COURSE. 
Brood is usually attacked late in the larval life, and dies during pupation, or later 
when nearly mature and ready to come forth through the chrysalis capping. Even 
after leaving the cell they are so feeble that they fall from the combs helpless. Most 
of the brood dies after it is sealed. In this it is much like pickled brood, except that 
as much or more brood dies in the late larval stage than in the pupa. In foul brood, 
while brood of all ages dies, yet more dies ‘‘at the ages of 6, 7, 8, and 9 days than at 
any other age” (author’s Foul Brood p. 46), even before the rich chyle-like food mixed 
with pollen is given, which is such a necessary environment for pickled brood and 
black brood. 
When the larve show the first signs of this disease, there appears a brownish spot 
on the body, about the size of a pinhead. The larvee may yet receive nourishment 
for a day or two; but as the fermentation increases the brownish spot enlarges, the 
larva dies, stands out, swollen and sharp at the ends. In this they are like pickled 
brood, except that the brown spot is not present in pickled brood, but pickled brood 
sometimes becomes brown after death. Foul brood turns brown only after the action 
of the putrefactive germs have brought about decomposition. No decomposition 
from putrefactive germs takes place in pickled brood. In black brood the dark and 
rotten masses, in time, break down and settle to the lower side of the cells, as a watery, 
syrupy, granular liquid—not the sticky, ropy, balsam or glue-like semi-fluid substance 
of foul brood. It does not adhere to the cell walls like that of foul brood; has not the 
characteristic foul odor which attracts carrion-flies, but a sour, rotten-apple smell, 
and not even a house-fly will set her foot upon it. Cappings in foul brood are sunken 
in the center when broken, sometimes puffed out by internal gases. In black brood, 
the cap is disturbed from without, sometimes uncapped, and cell contents removed - 
by the bees; not so in foul brood. The cap in pickled brood is usually undisturbed. 
The decayed brood masses do not adhere to the cell walls like either of the others. 
The defect in Howard’s description of the appearance of the brood 
which has probably caused the greatest confusion has reference to the 
color of the larve dead of the disease. In the following quotation 
he mentions the dark and black color of the brood, which according 
to him was so marked that it suggested the name “black brood.” 
On account of the character of the dead brood; its beginning with a dark spot on the 
larva, which increases in size, becomes darker, and finally black, for convenience and 
brevity the name black brood has been suggested, and this name is used in the text. 
Since the so-called black brood is in all probability European foul 
brood, many bee keepers expect to find black larvee in this disease. 
Occasionally some of the larve may be black, but black larvee are 
seldom found. If the bee keeper will bear this fact in mind he will be 
very much aided in understanding the brood diseases of bees. 
From samples of the so-called black brood, Howard reports that 
he isolated two new species of bacteria. The one he named Bacillus 
