8 io Disease of Bees in the Isle of Wight, [feb., 



Early in May, 1908, I went to the Island and interviewed the 

 bee-keepers and inspected their stocks. The following places 

 were visited: — Alum Bay, Appuldurcombe, Arreton, Bern- 

 bridge, Brading, Branstone, Binstead, Carisbrooke, Cowes, 

 Freshwater, Gurnard, Hillway, Nettlestone, Newport, North- 

 wood, Norton, Parkhurst, Porchfield, Ryde, Sandown, 

 Shanklin, Steyne, St. Helen's, Thorley, Totland, Wootton, 

 Wroxall, Yarmouth, and Yaverland. 



As a result of this investigation it was ascertained that 

 almost all, if not all, the affected stocks had perished, and in 

 consequence there did not appear to be any diseased stocks 

 left on the Island. Since the previous year the disease had 

 reached Cowes and Norton, and had destroyed many stocks 

 in both places. Although the disease had apparently quite 

 died out in the early part of May, it was still present at the 

 beginning of the year, the last stock to be affected being one 

 at Bembridge, which perished about the end of April. Pre- 

 vious to this, in March and early April, there were several 

 diseased stocks in different parts of the Island. After a short 

 period of apparent complete absence, the disease appeared 

 again about the middle of June, 1908. 



In a recent letter, dated 15th October, 1908, Mr. H. M. 

 Cooper says that "most of the old Island strains that were 

 left in the spring seem to have since died." 



Symptoms of the Disease. — The disease seems to be con- 

 fined to adult bees, the brood remaining unaffected and 

 retaining its normal appearance. The earliest sign that bee- 

 keepers have noticed is an apparent disinclination on the part 

 of the bees to do any work. They fly about in an apparently 

 aimless manner, and do not gather stores. Later they 

 gradually lose their power of flight, being often unable 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 on 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. Some bee-keepers assert that the abdomens of the 

 affected bees look darker than normal, and have a greasy or 

 shiny appearance. Others, though on the look-out for this 



