46 Studies in Kansas Insects. 



Effect of Poison Bran Mash on Birds, Chickens, Turkeys, Stock, Bees, 

 etc. When the poison bran mash is scattered thinly and evenly as 

 directed, the danger of poisoning fowls and stock is practically elimi- 

 nated. In our experience we have never found any dead birds or dead 

 chickens as a result of feeding on the bran mash. Although the birds 

 undoubtedly do feed on the bran to some extent, they do not receive 

 enough poison to hurt them. Should the bran mash, however, be made 

 too wet, so it will clog and scatter in bunches where birds can eat it 

 by mouthfuls, they may take enough scattered poison to kill them. 



In a good many instances where we scattered poisoned bran in the 

 lawns, gardens and orchards, the chickens, large and small, had free 

 access to the scattered bran as well as to the poisoned grasshoppers, but 

 in no instance did we find any chickens dead or sick as a result of the 

 poison. Little chicks were seen picking up flakes of the poisoned bran 

 here and there without any apparent effect. 



As far as the stock is concerned, there is no danger of poisoning 

 from the bran scattered in the fields. Care should be taken, however, 

 that the stock does not have access to the mixture. Not enough of the 

 poison will adhere to the vegetation to endanger it either for pasture 

 use or as a hay crop. 



Effect of Poison Bran Mash on Bees. During the experiments with 

 the poison the question arose whether or not the bees, on account of the 

 lemons and syrup used, might not be attracted to the poison and eat 

 enough to kill them. Mr. G. H. Vansell, of the department of ento- 

 mology here, conducted a good many experiments to determine whether 

 the bees were attracted to the poison bran mash. He found that the 

 bees would not voluntarily go to the poison bait and eat it, and that the 

 danger of poisoning bees is very slight. The following I have taken 

 from his field notes: The bees died after eating the mash. This 

 was proven by actual experiment. The mash was placed upon the 

 running-board of the hive, where the bees were bound to notice it. 

 They did not seem to scent the bait at all, but after running against 

 it they would stop and lap at it quite greedily, then start off, but 

 return presently and lap at it again, as if they hated to leave. 

 However, even in this conspicuous place, there were but few bees that 

 were observed to eat the poison, probably fifteen during the course of 

 an hour. Where the mash was placed a few feet away from the hive 

 I did not notice a single bee bother the bait. Again, some bees were 

 caught in a bell jar, and this was placed over some of the poison. After 

 a while the bees came down and ate of the sweet mixture. 



I also placed poison in a sweet-clover patch, which was in bloom. 

 A good many bees were present, but I did not observe a single bee touch- 

 ing the mash. The bait was also placed among fallen rotten peaches 

 and in open places with the same negative results. 



Then, lastly, I took the poison and scattered it in bunches among 

 thirty-eight stands of bees. After this was done I helped rob the bees. 

 Even under these disturbances, which ordinarily makes them very 

 anxious to rob, I observed but a single bee eating of the mash. All 



