(Entered as aecood-class matter July 30, 19li;, at the Post-OIBce at Chicago, III., under Act of March 3. 1»79. i 



Published Monthly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Company, 117 North Jefferson Street, 



GEORGE W. YORK. Editor. 



DR. C. C. MILLER, Associate Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, JULY, 1911 



Vol. LI -No. 7 



Editor LAI. 



Comments 



Non-Sitters and Xon-Svvarnieris 



"In comparing bees with poultry, the 

 editor of the Canadian Bee Journal was 

 asked if, in the case of hens, egg-lay- 

 ing constitutes reproduction, why it 

 does not in the case of bees. He calls 

 attention to his previous statement, 

 "It is only when queens are hatched 

 and a swarm issues that real and lom- 

 flctc reproduction takes place in the 

 case of the honey-bee," and then says 

 that the obvious answer "is that the 

 hen's egg, if fertile, contains the germ 

 which ensures the continuance of the 

 race, but in the case of bees the con- 

 tinuance of the race is effected only 

 through those eggs, that, as a result of 

 the swarming instinct, are permitted 

 by the bees to result in fully developed 

 females." 



Well, it does seem that there is some 

 difference between bees and biddies, 

 and yet it will hardly do to let that 

 Canuck editor have his own way en- 

 tirely. His idea seems to be that when 

 a chick is hatched out of an egg there 

 is " real and complete reproduction," 

 but in the case of a bee's egg the re- 

 production is only seeming and par- 

 tial, and that there is no real and com- 

 plete reproduction unless there is 

 swarming. Now, really, is not swarm- 

 ing colonization rather than reproduc- 

 tion ? Suppose a colony continues 

 year a ter year without swarming, each 

 queen in succession being quietly super- 

 seded, would there be no reproduc- 

 tion ,' If a community of people should 

 live for a century in the same place 

 without sending out a colony, would 

 you say there was no reproduction ? 



Getting back, however, to the real 

 question, can we have such a thing as 

 non-swarming bees ? Can we not have 

 non-swarming bees as well as non- 

 sitting hens r We are told that such a 

 thing as bees that nev.er swarm has 

 never been known. Well, do non- 

 sitting hens never sit ? Why, hardly 

 ever. Then let us go for bees that will 



hardly ever swarm. Some such bees 

 are said to be already in existence, and 

 if it is fair to call a hen that hardly 

 ever sits a non-sitter, is it not just as 

 fair to call a colony of bees that hardly 

 ever swarms a non-swarmer ? 



Anyhow, we have the good-will of 

 the editor of the Canadian Bee Journal, 

 who says, "Our sympathies are entirely 

 with those who desire to modify the 

 swarming instinct of bees." That's 

 better than some to whom the mention 

 of non-swarming seems to be as a red 

 rag to a bull, and who seem to think 

 there is something sort of wicked 

 about trying to breed out the swarm- 

 ing habit. 



Any appro.ximation toward non- 

 swarming is a matter of the deepest in- 

 terest to the practical bee-keeper, and 

 interest in it has greatly increased 

 during the past 40 years. It is not 

 likely that that interest will grow less. 



Tliat Milliou Dollars and Foul 

 Brood 



Over in England those who desire a 

 foul-brood law are having a hard time 

 of it through the oppostion of some 

 who see all sorts of bad things to fol- 

 low the establishment of such a law. 

 The objections seem a little amusing 

 to those who are familiar with the 

 working of such laws. One of the 

 latest is that a million of dollars has 

 been spent in America to fight the dis- 

 ease, and in spite of that it is spread- 

 ing. Neither is it some ignoramus 

 who says that, but a man who is very 

 intelligent on other subjects, W. Wood- 

 ley, one of the most prominent British 

 writers. He says in the British Bee 

 Journal : 



" That million dollars seems a big sum to 

 spend in a vain altemiit to check disease, as 

 we have it on k'ood authority that foul brood 

 is spreading at an alarming rate in the States 

 of America." 



it may not be a very wild guess that 

 in some way Mr. Woodley has gotten 



things tangled, and that the only ground 

 he has for his statement is that Dr. 

 Phillips estimates that the annual loss 

 from foul brood is a million dollars, 

 and it might be still more without any 

 foul-brood laws. 



Securing the Illinois Foul-Brood 

 Law 



Last month we announced the paS' 

 sage of the foul-brood law which has- 

 been needed in Illinois for many years, 

 and which, finally, through the efforts 

 of a very few unselfish and devoted 

 members of the Illinois State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, was secured dur- 

 ing the session of the Legislature 

 which adjourned in May. A copy of 

 the law as it was passed and went into 

 efTect the first day of the present month, 

 reads as follows : 



A BILL 



For an Act to prevent the introduction and 

 spread in Illinois of foul brood among 

 bees, providing for the appointment of a 

 State Inspector of Apiaries and prescrib- 

 ing his powers and duties. 



Whereas, thedisease known as foul brood 

 exists to a very considerable extent in vari- 

 ous portions of this State, which, if left to 

 itself, will soon exterminate the honey-bees; 

 and. 



Whereas, there is a great loss to the bee- 

 keepers and fruit-growers of the State each 

 vear by the devastating ravages of foul 

 brood; 



Section i. He it enacted l^y the People of the 

 State of Illinois, refreseriteil in the General As- 

 semblv: That the Governor shall appoint a 

 State Inspector of Apiaries, who shall hold 

 his office for the term of two years, and un- 

 til his successor is appointed and qualified, 

 and who may appoint oneor moreassistants. 

 as needed, to carry on the inspection under 

 his supervison. The Inspector of Apiaries 

 shall receive for each day actually and nec- 

 essarily spent in the performance of his 

 duties the sum of four dollars, to be paid 

 upon bills of particulars certified to as cor- 

 rect by the said Stale Inspector of Apiaries, 

 and approved by the Governor. 



Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of every person 

 main tainingorkeepingany colony or colonies 

 of bees to keep the same free from thedisease 

 known as foul brood and from other conta- 

 gious and infectious diseases among bees. 

 All bee-hives, bee-fixtures or appurtenances 

 where foul brood or other contagious or in- 

 fectious diseases among bees exists, are 

 hereby declared to be nuisances to be 

 abated as hereinafter prescribed. If the 

 inspector of apiaries sliall have reason to 

 believe that any apiary Is infected by foul 

 brood or other contagious disease, he shall 

 have the power to inspect, or cause to be 

 Inspected, from time to time, such apiary, 

 and for the purpose of such inspection he. 

 or his assistants, are authorized during rea- 



