348 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 11 
The trouble soon ceased but not until it had taken such a number of 
bees that the apiary was made profitless. Mr. Schilke thought the 
trouble came from the water supply, either through dew from sprayed 
plants or from a contaminated watering place. This apiary was 
moved to another location. 
The following season Mr. Schilke’s home apiary at Morganville was 
similarly affected. An investigation was made but nothing new was 
learned. 
Early in July of the past season a report was received that an apiary 
of twenty-five colonies at Milhurst, operated by Mr. Schilke, was 
rapidly being decimated by what appeared to be the same trouble that 
had before been seen. 
On July 12th an investigation of this trouble was made by Dr. 
Headlee, State Entomologist, New Brunswick, Dr. Sturtevant of the 
Bee Culture Laboratory, Washington, and the writer. 
The apiary was located in an orchard of old high trees which par¬ 
tially shaded the hives although there was opportunity for a free circu¬ 
lation of air. The stock was hybrids. 
The ground in the vicinity of the hives was covered with thousands 
of dead and sick bees. Some were feebly moving about, their move¬ 
ments being much like those exhibited by bees benumbed by cold. 
Others were more active and displayed a nervous haste to get away 
from the hive but their progress was slow. The dead were distributed 
all over the ground, no more being immediately in front of the hive 
than in any other direction from the hive. While there were a very 
few of the older workers noticed affected, almost all were young bright 
looking adults apparently about the age when they would take their 
first flights. While their abdomens were plump as is quite usual with 
young workers there was noticed little or no undue distention of the 
abdomen. Neither were any hairless or shiny bees seen. 
The bees showed a tendency to collect in groups not only in depres- . 
sions in the earth which might be due to feebleness but also on slightly 
elevated objects such as bits of wood and stones. There was also a 
decided tendency for these groups to be arranged so that the bees 
faced each other and many were seen touching tongues. Many bees 
were seen to make vain attempts at flight. 
When the affected bees were bursted the abdominal contents were 
found watery and gave off an unpleasant somewhat pungent odor en¬ 
tirely unlike that coming from a bursted healthy bee. Not only were 
workers affected by this trouble but also drones and Mr. Schilke 
claimed that he had seen queens similarly affected. 
The brood within the hives appeared to be healthy. 
In contradistinction to the bee disorder commonly known as paral- 
