Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-31
The Bee Dcsertion Disease.

The Bee Dcsertion Disease.
I'm so important matter as this, | am
unwilling to commit myself thus early
to an explanation of the cause. / have,
in former articles in your excellent pa
per, said that the bees act as if insane.
Perhaps they are. | have discovered in
dead bees, Of these hives thus dying in
summer, the larvae of an insect occupy
ing the abdomen. Perhaps the cause is
an insect. In my attempts to discover
the cause of the disease last winter |
could discover none. But of late | have
almost daily cut bees. dying or dead,
longitudinally. This divides the bees
is section easily made, and presents
the head, thorax and abdomen cut into
halves. There for some time occurred,
while doRg this, nothing to explain the
matter But at last bee that had fall
len dead before my eyes, few inches
from the entrance of its hive, presented
this appearance: The head was darker
and dryer in its centre than in healthy
bee. The usual light or pale tlesh-colored
muscle Gas | consider it, that occupies
most of the thorax, was nearly gone
only few fibers left of it. The back
of the abdomen of healty bee is mass
of tissue, either muscular, or similar to
it. But in this bee it was entirely empty
and black. The honey sack was black,
but full of honey. / then said to myself,
| have the solution of this Kentucky Bee
Disease, which is not confined to either
summer or winter, has spread east until
1t has reached me, and is in all this vi
cinity destroying more bees than all
other causes put together 1t is disease
of these muscles, so large and powerful,
which move the wings of the bee in its
flight.
But right here my just born discovery
received a rude check The next bee
that fell dead from the hive flew to q
barn, some sixty feet off, lighted, and
slowly died. cut it open as described,
and failed to discover the discoloration
of the muscles, or their loss by the di-
sease. Again | was in the dark. But
to make a long investigation short,
will say that subsequent dissectiOns lead
me to say that | am now inclined to
think though the bees rarely stay in the
hive until the muscular tissue is turned
black and decayed, yet the muscular It's
sues of the flying muscles and intestinal
tissues, will be found diseased. In the
bees that fly the longest distances after
deserving the hive, the muscular tissue is
flesh-colored or red in those scarcely
able to fly, it has dark spots or dark
threads and in those not able to fly, it
may be almost gone. The difference
from dysentery (the common cry of the
press, and of unobserving men), is that
in the latter there is no such change in
the muscles that ] have discovered Of
ten bees fall dead from a hive, perishing
of this disease, with so little muscular
change that one needs to look closely to
discover it.
Now, l do not say that | commit my
self to the idea that | have discovered
the cause of this disease, or that | assert
that it is new, or that it is beyond a
doubt muscular degeneration. But this
is the only thing l have as yet seen to
explain it.
Most of the bees have their honey
sacks full of clean, sweet, clear, pure
honey, which they seem unable to di-
gest. The symptoms of the, as sup
pose, Kentucky disease (because first
complained of there) with me are-no
dyseDteric discharges-nQ foul smell to
the combs or hive. But as they are
gorged with clean, pure honey IN the
honey sack, the hive smells of nice,
sweet honey perfume. There is a large
surplus of honey in the hive after all
the bees have left it. There are few or
no dead bees in the hive. A few bees
each day, be it hot or cold, wet or dry,
what ii may, fly out, light on any OBJ
ject, and there usually stay until they
fall dead. And the last symptom is the
disease of the muscles internal to the
bee, in greater or less degree.
Let me further say that if | am cor
rect, the disease is like Asiatic cholera,
not in discharges, but in one thing. 1t
Is endeDaic, or so contagious that it
spreads by infection, yet does not attack
all hives in any apiary in which it pre-
walls. Half or two thirds of an apiary
may have 1T, while the rest escape with
out sign. AS thousands of hives in
this vicinity have died and the honey
has been eaten, it seems that the honey
is not the cause Of the disease in the bee,
nor is it injurious to man. For months
such honey has been on sale here in my
own town-brought in by farmers who
have lost hives-taken out Of the honey
chambers of hives, and no complaint has
been heard Of any human. disease caused
by its use.
Gentlemen Of the Hive! You will
nave ample tlne ana occasion 10 con-
template this disease, it, rs | believe. it
viii continue to spread 1t came to me
IN one hive soon after the Kentucky loss
1t has steadily and pcrsistently held its
course. / have lost half my bees by it
In two years past. Others near me. who
use less care than l do, have lost in the
ratio Of GO hives out of 100, or 80 to 100,
and some even more. Do not listen to
the old familiar explanation of familiar
diseases-or too much to mine. But OBJ
serve, detect for yourselves, and publish
for others good.
In Kentucky its work was rapid. As
II spreads it seems to be less violent. but
none the less sure. tits certain that it is
disease of summer and winter, because
then the recuperative powers of the bee
are less active than in summer. Indeed.
the power to recover is suspended in
wlnter-Dr. s. j. Parker In tie CaRa-
try Gentleman.