DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 103 



The department now possesses a small but well ordered apiary suffi- 

 cient for purposes of instruction, together with a shop fairly equipped 

 for practical work in beekeeping in a moderate way. Equipment for a 

 large commercial apiary would mean merely the installation of more 

 labor-saving machinery, mostly of a cumbersome nature. 



The report of the State Inspector of Apiaries, whose activities find a 

 home in this department, will be found elsewhere. 



The discovery in eastern North America of the destructive European 

 corn-borer led to a trip during August, 1919, to infested fields in Massa- 

 chusetts and New York where the actual destruction of fields of corn 

 was witnessed by the writer and some acquaintance with its field ap- 

 pearance was gained in the hope that when the insect appears in our 

 State we may be a'ble to start restricting its spread intelligently. We 

 have also carried on a search in regions where the pest seemed most 

 likely to become established; thus far, fortunately, without success. 



Respectfullv submitted, 

 R. H. PETTIT, 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1920. 



Professor of Entomology. 



REPOPvT OF THE STATE INSPECTOPt OF APIARIES. 



To the Honorable State Board of Agriculture: 



I beg to submit the following as the seventh annual report of the State 

 Inspector of Apiaries : 



The following is a summary of the year's work : 



Number of Apiaries visited 1,027 



Number of colonies inspected 10,906 



Number of colonies affected with foul brood 1,G27 



Number of diseased colonies treated or destroyed 47 



Number of illegal hives found 427 



Number of arrests for keeping bees in illegal hives or 



exposing diseased combs 26 



Number of beekeepers meetings attended 78 



The policy of inspection work was decidedly changed at the beginning 

 of the present fiscal year by tlie employment of seventeen local deputies. 

 The plan is to have a number of practical beekeepers in various parts of 

 the State act as deputies in their own or adjoining counties. Thus far 

 the plan has worked out very satisfactorily. It effects a decided saving 

 in the cost of inspection and at the same time gives the beekeepers 

 quicker service than if the work were handled by deputies sent out di- 

 rectly from this office. As time goes on more men will be trained and 

 used in local work. 



In October, 1919, there was started a series of Two Day Beekeepers' 

 Schools for the purpose of educating "the beekeepers regarding foul 

 brood, its treatment and better methods of beekeeping in general. During 



