BEE DISEASE RESEARCH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 19

BEE DISEASE RESEARCH

LIGHT ON "FOUL BROOD" THREE DIFFERENT TROUBLES During the past three years research on brood diseases of bees has been going on at Rothamsted Experimental Station. Dr. Tarr has been doing this work, which has so far proved so promising that it was unanimously decided by the Bee Research Advisory Committee at Rothamsted to continue for a further period of three years. The work carried out up to the present has already cleared up many difficult points. Dr. Tarr has shown that European and American Foul Brood arc two distinct diseases caused by different organisms. He has confirmed that American Foul Brood is due to a bacterium Bacillus larvae and that its incidence is independent of the strength of the colony. European Foul Brood, on the other hand, is a disease of weak stocks and is probably caused by Bacillus pluton, in association with other organisms. He has also shown that a third condition known as "Addled Brood," is very prevalent in Britain and constituted about onethird of the cases of "Foul Brood" sent in for examination. It is liable to be mistaken for Foul Brood, but is really due to a defective condition in the queen, and once it is recognised can readily be cured by requeening. The work in contemplation will be concentrated on tests of control measures for both European and American Foul Brood and further work on the organisms causing European Foul Brood, in order that the incidence of this disease may be as well understood as the others.