812 Disease of Bees in the Isle of Wight, [feb., 



to most observers, the end of May and June are the months 

 in which the disease is most rapidly fatal. At this time the 

 stocks are frequently destroyed in from two to four weeks, 

 and in one case at least a stock was completely destroyed in 

 nine days. In the winter* and spring months the bees die 

 less rapidly, two to three months often elapsing between the 

 first appearance of the disease and the destruction of the 

 stock. Infected stocks are not invariably destroyed. Occa- 

 sionally the mortality in a hive suddenly ceases. f In some 

 cases a hive may nearly die out and then rapidly recover and 

 fill up with brood, but the hive may become badly diseased 

 later. An interesting example of apparent complete recovery 

 described by a correspondent is worthy of note. "All the 

 hives were affected more or less, and bees could be seen 

 crawling about in all directions up to twenty yards from the 

 hives. I think the disease was at its worst between the end 

 of June and July 24th. At this date, I noticed there was a 

 great improvement in the state of the bees, and they rapidly 

 mended until there was hardly a diseased bee to be seen 

 crawling near the hives, and since that time I have seen 

 nothing worth troubling about" (three months later). 



In one instance, after apparent complete recovery and the 

 sending off of a strong swarm, trie original stock was again 

 attacked and destroyed by the disease. In some cases it has 

 been noted that swarms from a healthy stock acquire the 

 disease rapidly, though the parent stock remains healthy. 



Hybrid stock appear to be more resistant to the disease than 

 pure home-bred stock. Most bee-keepers who have kept both 

 kinds are agreed that the Italian hybrids are the last to 

 succumb, sometimes surviving for several months after the 

 others have been destroyed. 



Suggested Causes of the Disease. — Among bee-keepers 

 several hypotheses have been put forward to account for the 

 disease. 



(a) Several bee-keepers at the western end of the Island 



* In exceptional instances the disease has rapidly exterminated stocks in 

 winter, and has progressed slowly in summer. 



+ Some observers believe that permanent recovery seldom, if ever, takes 

 place. Some improvement may take place after a spring attack, but when 

 breeding ceases in winter the stock dies off, proving that the life of the stock 

 was only prolonged by the constant addition of young bees. 



