44 HISTORICAL NOTES ON BEE DISEASES. 
although not included in his paper, was, as he says, satisfactory to 
himself. 
6. The description which Howard made of the fungus is not suf- 
ficient to identify it. 
One at once observes that Howard brought forth no convincing 
evidence that the disorder with which he was working was infectious, 
nor that the fungus which he named Aspergillus pollint was a new 
one, nor did he prove that any etiological relation existed between 
the fungus and the disorder. 
Inasmuch as the disorder which Howard described was declared by 
him to be due to a fungus, Aspergillus pollim, it is certain that the 
disease known to bee keepers as pickled brood is not the “‘pickled 
brood” of Howard. It is the opinion of the writers that the “ pickled 
brood”’ described by Howard does not exist. 
HowarpD, FEBRUARY 15, 1900. 
Another paper! by Howard appeared in 1900, discussing still an- 
other disease which he supposed was not “‘foul brood.”” The disease, 
as will be learned later, was in all probability European foul brood. 
He quotes a description of this disease by Mr. N. D. West, an able 
bee inspector of the State of New York. In this quotation Mr. West 
says that the disease appears in the spring about the time the apple 
is in blossom, breaking out all at once and spreading with amazing 
rapidity. The young larva has a yellow speck on the body, about 
the size of a pinhead. The older larve are lengthwise in the cell, 
white, and uncapped. After dying the brood is either removed 
by the bees or flattens out and becomes at first a cream-colored and 
later a coffee-colored mass. Later in the season some brood, which 
had died after capping, becomes coffee colored and of the consistency of 
heavy honey. When this is tested with a toothpick, the decaying 
mass stretches out to the extent of one-half inch to 1 inch. In some 
cases the odor is sour, while in others cases, especially if the capped 
stage has been reached by the dead brood, it has a somewhat rotten 
odor. The odor is not especially disagreeable at any time. The 
colony either dies out entirely from this disease, or the condition. 
improves so that later in the summer no diseased brood can be found. 
With plenty of stores and a good flow, the disease seems to abate. 
Mr. West’s many years of experience as a bee keeper, his experience 
as an inspector of apiaries, and his ardent enthusiasm on questions 
relating to bee diseases, make his description of the appearance of 
this disease of much value. 
Although Howard quotes from West the symptoms that are found ~ 
in the so-called black brood, one finds him deviating far from them in 
1 Howard, Dr. Wm. R., February 15,1900. New York bee disease, or black brood. Gleanings in Bee 
Culture, Vol. XXVIII, No. 4, pp. 121-127. 
