BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 545 



WORK ON THE BEHAVIOR OF BEES. 



Investigations have been carried on during the year as to the means 

 by which beeg find their way to flowers, the source and gathering of 

 propolis, the behavior of bees on unprotected combs, and color vision. 

 These studies of behavior under normal and abnormal circumstances 

 are highly important in devising practical manipulations. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH BEESWAX. 



During the past 3'ear some preliminary experiments on the removal 

 of the beeswax usually left in slumgum were conducted. It was 

 found that there is usually a considerable amount of Avax lost in the 

 methods of wax extraction now employed, and an effort is being made 

 to make an apparatus which will remove this wax economically. 

 The extraction of all the wax from combs is most important, since, 

 where disease is concerned, there are many combs to be rendered. 

 Complete extraction would add greatly to the profits of large 

 apiaries. Bee keepers in various parts of the country are cooperating 

 with the Bureau in the collection of samples of beeswax produced 

 during the gathering of different kinds of honey, since it is known 

 that beeswax from different sources varies considerably in its physical 

 properties. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



An effort has been made to learn what is being done in this coun- 

 try and abroad in regard to education in bee culture. 



A new location for the Bureau apiary has been obtained at Chevy 

 Chase, Md., and the number of colonies is being increased to accom- 

 modate the needs of experimental work. 



UNCLASSIFIED WORK. 



As in previous years, a great deal of work has been done in dif- 

 ferent directions which can not be classified under the main sections. 



Especial attention has been paid, as in previous j^ears, to the study 

 of pecan insects, especially in Texas and in Mississippi. In the same 

 way the insects injurious to ornamental plants have received con- 

 siderable attention throughout the year. 



More work has been done than in recent years on the subject of 

 insects injurious to shade trees. The demand for information in 

 regard to insects of this class is constantly increasing. Circular pub- 

 lications have been issued on some of the more important species, but 

 new forms appear occasionally, and insects hitherto considered of 

 no economic importance occasionally develop in enormous numbers 

 and destroy the shade trees in certain cities. During the past year 

 the European leojiard moth has done serious damage to the shade 

 trees of Cambridge, Mass., and vicinity, and a new pest from Europe, 

 the elm scolvtus, has made its appearance in the vicinity of Bos- 

 ton. So serious has boon tho damngo of these two imported pests 

 and of the imported elm loaf-bectie thai the l)oautiful olm trees 

 of Cambridge have been dying by hundreds. In June, 1910, 1,000 

 large trees were removed. The Bureau has endeavored to aid in all 

 such cases by giving advice, and wheie investigations can be made of 



7.3477°— AGR loiu :i.j 



