3?^ 



ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



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only a few ladies. I think we should 

 make it a practice to bring our wives. 



Mr. Root — What is the matter with 

 the secretary issuing invitations to the 

 ladies as well as to men? 



A member — I move we adjourn until 

 tomorrow morning at eight o'clock 

 sharp. 



Motion seconded. Meeting adjourned 

 until tomorrow morning. 



MORNING SESSION, 

 November 16, 1916. 

 Meeting convened 9 a. m. 

 President Baxter — ^We have a paper 

 this morning, by Mr. Pyles. The sub- 

 ject, "Inspection Work and Possibilities 

 of Its Advancement." 



Inspection Work and Possibilities of Its 

 Advancement. 



By Mr. L E. Pyles. 



Mr. President and Fellow Bee-Keep- 

 ers: This subject has been wished 

 upon me, and if I make a sad failure 

 just let me have all the charity that is 

 due in such cases. 



Inspection work is comparatively 

 very recent, as it is only in the last 

 few decades that the government has 

 taken upon itself, the work of seeing 

 that the individual is protected against 

 disease among human beings, as well 

 as their property. 



Bee inspection is among the latest. 



As it is hardly necessary to go into 

 all the details of all the causes leading 

 up to the election of an Inspector by 

 the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, we will just take up and no- 

 tice some of the work as it has been 

 done by the Inspectors and their depu- 

 ties, in this state, as well as some sug- 

 gestions for improvements as they ap- 

 peal to the writer. The first record of 

 inspection work in this state dates 

 back to January 18, 1903, as published 

 in the third annual report. On that 

 date, under a special call, the State 

 Association met in room 17 of the State 

 House, for the purpose of electing a 

 Foul Brood Inspector, J. Q. Smith be- 

 ing duly elected. 



We find in the same report of the 

 Thirteenth Annual Session the In- 

 spector reported that he had traveled 

 three thousand miles and visited thirty 

 apiaries, but failed entirely to state if 

 he had been able to find foul biood 

 in the state. In the Fourth Annual 



Report we find the Inspector reported 

 having traveled two thousand miles, 

 visited in thirty-two counties, inspect- 

 ing something over three hundred col- 

 onies, still not reporting a single case 

 of foul brood in the state, although he 

 does say it is in the state. 



Now let us compare these two re- 

 ports with the report of 1915, and see 

 if we have any improvement or not; 

 and, if we have, then see if there is 

 room for more improvement, and make 

 such suggestions as appeal to us prac- 

 tical. 



The foul brood Inspector reports. for 

 1915 two hundred and seventy-one 

 days' work for Inspector and deputies, 

 with six hundred and thirty- seven 

 apiaries visited, — with nine thousand 

 four hundred and two colonies; and 

 two hundred and thirty apiaries dis- 

 eased; one hundred twenty apiaries 

 having American foul brood; one hun- 

 dred seven apiaries having European 

 foul brood; twenty- six colonies being 

 destroyed, with a total expense of one 

 thousand six hundred thirty-four dol- 

 lars and thirty- seven cents. 



In a comparison of records we find 

 the former Inspector appears to have 

 traveled first to the northern part of • 

 the state, then to the southern; and 

 the money seems to have been spent in 

 traveling expenses, as the average 

 distance traveled was one hundred 

 miles per apiary, while under the pres- 

 ent Inspector the work has been more 

 systematic, routes were laid out, not 

 to see how many miles could be trav- 

 eled but how many apiaries can be 

 visited in a given distance, conse- 

 quently we do not report how many 

 miles traveled but how much work is 

 done. 



A comparison of the 1903 and 1904 

 reports with the report of 1915 is valu- 

 able reading, and worth the time spent 

 by any interested bee-keeper. 



Now, for the suggestions of improve- 

 ment promised that may be made; in 

 the first place I would suggest that, 

 instead of laying out routes along rail- 

 road lines, certain counties that are 

 badly infected with diesease be thor- 

 oughly gone over and cleared up. 



Let these counties lie in a body as 

 near as possible and if necessary use 

 quarantines and compel the work to be 

 done, before they are allowed to ship 

 honey or bees from the premises in- 

 fected. 



