49 BEES. 
LAWS AFFECTING BEE KEEPING. 
Disease inspection.—Various States have passed laws providing 
for the state or county inspection of apiaries for bee-disease control, 
and every bee keeper should get in touch with an inspector when 
disease is suspected, if one is provided. The inspectors are practical 
bee keepers who fully understand how to control the diseases, and 
are of great help in giving directions in this matter. The name of 
the inspector of any locality can usually be furnished, and this de- 
partment is glad to aid bee keepers in reaching the proper officers. 
Laws against spraying fruit trees while in bloom.—The spraying 
of fruit trees while in bloom is not now advised by economic en- 
tomologists, and to prevent the practice some States have passed 
laws making it a misdemeanor. Such spraying not only kills off 
honeybees, causing a loss to the bee keeper, but interferes with the 
proper pollination of the blossoms and is thus a detriment to the 
fruit grower. Bee keepers should do everything in their power to 
prevent the practice. 
Laws against the adulteration of honey.—The National Food and 
Drugs Act of 1906, and various state pure food laws, are a great aid 
to the bee keeper in preventing the sale of adulterated extracted 
honey as pure honey. Bee keepers can often aid in this work by 
reporting to the proper officials infrmgements of these laws which 
come to their notice. 
When bees are a nuisance.—Some cities have passed ordinances 
prohibiting the keeping of bees in certain areas, but so far none 
have been able to enforce them. If bees are a nuisance in individual 
cases, the owner may be compelled to remove them. The National 
Beekeepers’ Association will help any of its members in such cases, 
if they are in the right, as well as in cases where bees sting horses. 
Bee keepers should be careful not to locate bees where they can 
cause any trouble of this kind. 
SUPPOSED INJURY OF CROPS BY BEES. 
Bee keepers are often compelled to combat the idea that bees 
cause damage to fruit or other crops by sucking the nectar from the 
flower. This is not only untrue, but in many cases the bees are a 
ereat benefit in pollinating the flowers, making a good crop possible. 
A more frequent complaint is that bees puncture fruit and suck the 
juices. Bees never puncture sound fruit, but if the skin is broken 
by some other means bees will often suck the fruit dry. In doing it, 
however, they are sucking fruit which is already damaged. These 
and similar charges against the honeybee are prompted by a lack of 
information concerning their activities. Bees may, of course, become 
a nuisance to others through their stinging propensities, but bee 
keepers should not be criticised for things which their bees do not do. 
397 
