434 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



insects are very abundant the honey should be thoroughly extracted at the 

 dawn of the clover bloom, so as to secure this superexcelleut honey free 

 from taint and uucolored from this louse nectar which is considerably darker 

 than is t^p clover honey. It will be necessary to watch closely during the 

 clover bloom, as if the nectar fountains of these blossoms are dried up fi'om 

 cold or wet, the bees will almost surely go to the so called honey dew again. 

 I have been asked several times if this secretion would be a fit winter food 

 for the bees. If the taste is pleasant and not bitter or fungent, and if freely 

 capped over by the bees, I should not hesitate to leave it in the hive. If on 

 the other hand it is unpleasant to the taste, and especially if the bees refuse 

 to cap it over, I should fear to have it in the hive in winter. I have con- 

 siderable honey which is strongly flavored by this nectar. I have asked 

 many persons to sample it and I have yet to hear the first criticism as to its 

 quality. I should not hesitate to feed this to my bees for winter. I have 

 letters from persons who complain of this nectar in their hives, as bitter and 

 nauseating; such honey should be carefully kept from the bees in winter. 



PLANT LICE— APHIDES. 



The present season has been especially noticeable for the abundance of plant 

 lice, no less than bark lice. Many fruit and shade trees in May and June 

 had their foliage and green twigs literally covered with the lice. We have 

 carefully watched to see if M. Lichtenstein^s theory of migration to the 

 roots of plants explained the rapid thinning out of these lice in late June and 

 July. Tar about the tree trunks caught no lice, nor do we think the lice 

 dropped from the trees. We think that the coccinellida? larvas, and syrphus 

 fly larvae were sufficient to account for this happy riddance. Five or six of 

 these predaceous larvae would be found on a single leaf, dining on the lice, and 

 their habits indicated good appetites. We are certainly more deeply indebted 

 than we know to these insect-eating larvas. They save many a tree and 

 shrub from total destruction from these plant lice sappers. 



INSECTICIDES. 



We tried pyrethrum (Buhach) as a 

 powder, which was applied by use of the 

 Woodason bellows (Fig. 11), which 

 serves admirably for this purpose ; pyre- 

 thrum (Buhach), mixed in water — a 

 tablespoonful to two gallons of the 

 liquid — which was applied by use of the 

 Woodason spraying bellows; kerosene 

 and sour milk, one to ten, which was 

 thoroughly mixed ; and kerosene and 

 soap emulsion as already described. The 

 spraying bellows we find very excellent, 

 as it is so economical. One pint of the 

 liquid would answerforquiteasizabletree. 

 All of these substances were of value in 

 killing the lice ; but the pyrethrum was 

 less effective than was the kerosene. In 

 fact, it seemed less effective than it did 

 last year, and I think it possibly lost 

 i^ig. 11. some of its strength, though I kept it in 



