Journal of Agriculture^ Victoria. [lo Jan., 191 2. 



BEES AXD SPllAYING. 



E. E. Pcscott. Principal. Horticultural School, Burnley, and 

 F . R. Beulnic , Bee Ex-pert. 



The establishment of an apiaiv at the Burnley Horticultural Gardens 

 has furnished an opportunity for obser\-ing and recording data regarding^ 

 the working of bees among fruit trees, and the effect of the various orchard 

 operations upon the bees. The apiarv was established during the spring 

 of last yea;r ; and, although it is too earl\ to es'.tablish any definite con- 

 clusions, certain observations have already l<een made which may somewhat 

 upset \arious theories regarding the action of sprays upon the bees. 



It is an accepted fact that the bee is the most useful of all insects 

 for the purposes of conveying pollen from flower to flower for fertilization 

 purposes. It was pointed out last vear, in the Januarv and April numbers 



A rORTION OF THE BURNLEY APIARY. 



of the Journal, that bees were of great service to the orchardist in assisting 

 to increase the yield of fruit. It is also known that to exclude bees and 

 other insects from the trees at the time when the}- are in blossom is sure 

 to result in a considerably reduced fruit crop. 



It is often considered that bees are able to collect a good store of honey 

 from fruit tree blossom, and that the yield of frviit tree hone\- comes at 

 a time when the bees urgently need it for brood rearing. That may be so 

 in other countries, but it does not appear to be so in Australia. Here, 

 the nectar flow seems to be somewhat weak, and insufficient in quantity for 

 the necessities of the bees. A Victorian apiari.st during the past .season 

 removed his bee colonies from his home to a district where the bees had 

 an available range over 15,000 fruit trees. He ultimately found that the 

 hers were starving, and he had to remove them to a more suitable locality. 

 It may thus be found that the chief use of bees in the orcb.ard will l>e 

 for cross-fertilization purposes. 



