DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY 515 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



after that date, however, owing- to the excessive wet weather, no honey was 

 gathered. Twenty-five colonies were put into the cellar in December. At date 

 of writing (March 31, 1913) ten colonies have been placed on their summer 

 stands. 



Agassiz, B.C. — The ten hives are all in good condition, being quite strong, 

 both in stores and in bees. During the past season an average of 25 pounds 

 of honey per hive was secured. Nine of the hives, were wintered out-of-doors, 

 and, with the exception of two, came through in excellent shape. The one hive 

 which has been wintered inside for two years does not seem to have any advan- 

 tage over those wintered out-of-doors. There has been an abundance of food 

 for the bees; the chief honey plant seems to be the white clover, which is 

 more or less constant from the first of June until the fh'st of September. 

 Fair success was obtained this year in keeping down swarms; this, it is 

 believed, was brought about by always allowing plenty of room and fresh air 

 and by occasionally splitting the brood nest. 



During the coming year, it is intended to organize and co-ordinate the apicu.l- 

 tural work on the Experimental Farms with a view to ultimately maintaining an 

 apiary on each of the Branch Farms. The extension of bee-keeping in western 

 Canada is especially important, and special attention will be paid to this work and 

 its possibilities. In order to stimulate bee-keeping in Canada, and to guide begin- 

 ners, a bulletin entitled 'The Honey Bee' was written and published during the 

 year, and has already proved extremely useful. 



VIII.— MISCELLANEOUS. 



COLLECTIONS. 



During the year we have continued to name collections of insects for indivi- 

 duals and teaching institutions. Considerable progress has been made in the arrange- 

 ment of our now rapidly increasing collection of Canadian insects, to which duty 

 Mr. Germain Beaulieu has assiduously devoted himself, with satisfactory results. 

 The Hemiptera have been arranged, and special attention has been devoted to 

 several orders of the Coleoptera. Mr. Beaulieu has undertaken a careful study of 

 the Elaterid beetles, which includes the various species of wireworms. Mr. Sladen 

 has been placed in charge of the Aculeate Hymenoptera and has made marked pro- 

 gress in arranging this group. Special attention is being paid to the Bombi, on 

 account of the economic importance of certain species. 



In the determination of new material, Dr. L. 0. Howard, Chief of the United 

 States Bureau of Entomology, and his scientific assistants in the Bureau and in the 

 National Museum at Washington, have again placed us under a debt of gratitude 

 by their kind assistance, and our very cordial thanks are extended to other specialists 

 who, in like manner, have so willingly assisted us in our work. 



An extensive exhibit of injurious and useful insects and their work was made 

 at the Dominion Exhibition, held at Ottawa, in September. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The increase in the work and in the staff of the Division has naturally resulted 

 in an increase in the correspondence. The number of letters received from April 1, 

 1912, to March 31, 1913, was 5,105, and the number of letters sent out during the 

 same period was 6,938, compared with 3,993 letters received and 5,405 sent out during 

 the previous fiscal year. 



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