I907-] 



Disease of Bees. 



healthy swarms commenced to die off twenty-four hours after 

 the disease had been detected. Other cases have come under 

 my notice in which the bees have died off in batches each day 

 and it has been going on for several weeks. Some strains of bees 

 appear to, be capable of resisting the disease for a longer period 

 than others, but all eventually succumb to the complaint. 



Several bee-keepers say that the disease is least prevalent 

 at the time when the Dutch clover is in full blossom.* This 

 coincidence may perhaps be on account of the plant containing 

 some ingredient which renders the bees better able to with- 

 stand the disease, but positive information on this point 

 remains to be obtained. 



Secondary Effects of the Disease. — Hives attacked by the 

 disease are liable to " chilled brood" which kills off large 

 numbers of the young and developing generation. The 

 weakened bees are unable to withstand the onslaughts of robbers, 

 and the latter were often in evidence around infested hives, 

 and the destruction of a diseased colony is further hastened by 

 the Wax Moth, which soon gains an entrance into a feebly- 

 defended hive. In Brook it was ascertained that both the large 

 and small species of this moth attacked the hives. 



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 indi- 

 viduals show very little inclination for stinging ; those that are 

 less severely attacked often sting very actively. 



* Three bee-keepers have independently informed me of this fact. 



I 2 



