1907-] 



Disease of Bees. 



• 



i33 



of a dirty red-brown material. The bee-keepers state that this 

 condition is only present after the winter confinement within 

 the hive. A comb constructed by a diseased stock during the 

 summer does not reveal any indications of dysentery being 

 present in the hive. 



After the winter is over and the bees are all on the wing, no 

 dysentery is noticeable, and all the diseased bees that have been 

 dissected showed the opposite condition of distension of the gut. 

 The digestive system of a large number of diseased bees has been 

 examined microscopically, the bees being taken from infected 

 hives from four different localities. In all instances the 

 colon was found to be rilled with a yellowish-brown material, 

 and in many cases it was greatly distended with it. When 

 these contents are dried in contact with the atmosphere they 

 assume the same colour as the excrement noticeable inside the 

 hives at the close of winter. Microscopical examination reveals 

 the presence of an enormous number of pollen grains differing 

 in their species in different bees. An examination of this pollen 

 has shown that no particular type of grain is present in all 

 diseased bees. In addition to pollen, a variable quantity of a 

 bright yellow amorphous material is also present. 



Nature of the Disease. — The disease is eminently one of the 

 digestive system and might be described as being a condition of 

 enlargement of the hind intestine. Over 150 diseased bees 

 have now been examined and all have been found to exhibit 

 the same symptoms. 



The colon and adjacent part of the rectum are enormously 

 distended with a congested mass of material, consisting primarily 

 of pollen grains (Fig. B). The distension is so marked that this 

 section of the alimentary canal becomes extended from two 

 and a half to four and a half times its normal capacity. When 

 the dorsal integument of the bee is removed, the greater part 

 of the abdominal cavity is seen to be occupied by the very 

 greatly enlarged hind intestine. In extreme cases the rectum 

 almost as far as the anus is also distended and the small intestine 

 as well. At first sight it would appear as if the chyle stomach 

 was greatly distended, but further examination shows that the 

 latter becomes pushed to some extent out of its normal position 

 and is partially flattened by the pressure that is exerted upon it. 

 The greater part of the abdominal cavity, which is normally a 



