American "Bee Joarnal 



Far Western ^ Bee-Keeping 



Conducted by Wesley Foster. Boulder. Colo. 



Colorado Honey Crop Prospects 



The outlook is good for honey in 

 Colorado. The Western Slope reports 

 conditions favorable ; bees were swarm- 

 ing in the Arkansas valley around the 

 first of May. and except in places 

 where water is scarce the crop will 

 probably be good. Grasshoppers, 

 drouth and loss of bees the past winter 

 will limit the crop in northern Col- 

 orado, but what bees are left are doing 

 well wherever there is water for the 

 alfalfa. The grasshoppers are not in- 

 creasing the way they seemed to be, 

 and I doubt whether they will be a 

 general pest this summer. 



Idaho is late on account of the cold, 

 damp spring, but alfalfa began yielding 

 there early in June. The bees in north- 

 ern Colorado began working on the 

 alfalfa the last of May— the earliest I 

 ever saw it. 



Sweet clover is coming on fine, and 

 though June so far has been very dry, 

 a good rain has fallen with prospect of 

 more, and things will now grow some 

 during the next few weeks. 



White clover is coming in thicker 

 every year, and the bees are thick on it. 

 I am not sure but what we will soon 

 have to give white clover a place along 

 side of alfalfa and sweet clover. 



Horsemint and many other dry- 

 plains flowers are furnishing honey, 

 and while this honey is not so high in 

 quality, I am glad to see come all that 



will. „ , 



Some day I hope to know all the 

 wild flowers that yield pollen and nec- 

 tar, but that will be quite a job, I can 

 assure you Our wild flowers are such 

 beautiful and interesting specimens 

 that when I may spend some time with 

 them is looked forward to with de- 

 light. I have several pictures of them 

 already. When one has photographed 

 a flower it is not soon forgotten— the 

 focusing of the camera and making the 

 exposure give one time to observe the 

 structure in every detail. And if you 

 can catch the bees on the blossoms it 

 is all the more interesting. 



Our New Apiary Law 



The bill drawn by the Legislative 

 committee of the Colorado State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association has passed both 

 the House and the Senate, and has been 

 signed by the Governor. This new 

 law takes efifect 90 days after the Leg- 

 islature adjourned, or about Aug. 4th. 

 The law provides for the establishment 

 of a division of apiary investigation 

 and inspection under the State Ento- 

 mologist, Prof. C. P. Gillette, of the 

 Colorado Agricultural College. An 

 appropriation of $2.j00 per year is made 

 to carry out this work, and we now 

 have a division of bee-investigations as 

 well as an inspection law that has given 

 effective results in other States. 



Thanks for invaluable aid are due to 

 Senator Casaday, of Boulder, who in- ' 

 troduced the bill in the Senate, and to 

 Representative Skinner, of Montrose, 

 who introduced the bill in the House. 

 Dr. Phillips and Editor Root also gave 

 many valuable suggestions and helped 

 in every way within their powers. The 

 American Bee Journal, Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture, and Ranch and Range, all 

 threw open their columns to the cause 

 and urged the bee-men to write their 

 legislators, which they did in fine 

 fashion. 



The State Association sent out over 

 300 letters to bee-keepers, and every 

 legislator was also written in regard 

 to the bill. The expense was borne by 

 the Association, and the treasury is 

 bankrupt; but we will replenish it as 

 we have done before. 



The following is a copy of the new 



law : 



A BILL 



For an Act to establish a Division of Apiary 



Insoection and Investigation under the 



State Entomologist, etc 

 Be it ciiaitcd bv the General Assenibly of the ittate 

 of Colorado: ... 



Section i— The State Entomologist is 

 hereby authorized to conduct a division of 

 apiary investigation and of inspection of 

 bee-diseases directly or through a deputy, 

 who is experienced in apiculture. The in- 

 vestigation to cover the introduction of nec- 

 tarproducing plants, the agencies influenc- 

 ing the secretion of nectar in plants, and 

 such other subjects as may advance bee- 

 culture in Colorado. The inspection shall 

 extend to all parts of the State where bees 

 are kept, for the prevention, eradication or 

 control of bee-diseases. 



Sec 2 —Every beekeeper or other person 

 who shall be aware of the existence of foul 

 brood or any other infectious or contagious 

 disease of bees either in his own apiary or 

 elsewhere in the State, shall immediately 

 notify the State Entomologist or his deputy 

 in charge of apiculture of the existence of 

 such disease. ... , . j 



Set 3 -The StateEntomologist or his dep- 

 iil^' ill charge of apiculture shall, when no- 

 tified in writing by the owner of an apiary 

 or by any bee-keeper, examine all reported 

 apiaries, and if any contagious disease is 

 pre-^ent, examine all others in the same 

 locality not reported, and ascertain whether 

 or not any disease known as American foul 

 brood. European foul brood, or any other 

 disease which is infectious or contagious in 

 its nature, and injurious to honey-bees in 

 their egg, larval, pupal, or adult stages, ex- 

 ists in such apiaries; and if satisfied of ex- 

 istence of anv such disease, he shall give 

 the owner or caretaker of the diseased api- 

 aries full written or printed instructions 

 how to treat such cases as in his judgment 

 seem best, and state a time in whicli his in- 

 structions shall be carried out. 



Sec 4.— The State Entomologist or his 

 deputy in charge of apiculture shall visit all 

 diseased apiaries a second time, after ten 

 days, and if need be burn all colonies of 

 bees that he may find not cured of such dis- 

 ease and all honey, comb and appliances 

 which would spread disease without rec- 

 ompense to the owner, lessee or agent 

 thereof. , , 



Sec 5— If the owner or caretaker of an 

 apiary, honey or appliances wherein dis- 

 ease exists shall sell, barter, or give away, 

 or move, or cause to be moved without a 

 written permit from the State Entomologist 

 or his deputy in charge of apiculture, any 

 diseased bees (be they queens oi workers), 

 colonies, honey or appliances, or expose 

 other bees to the danger of such disease, 

 said owner or caretaker shall, on conviction 

 thereof be fined not less than Fifty Dollars 

 nor more than One Hundred Dollars, or im- 



prisoned not less then one month, nor more 

 than two months, or both. 



Sec. 6.— Itshall be unlawful to move bees 

 from localities where disease is known to 

 exist without a permit from the State Ento- 

 mologist or his deputy in charge of apicul- 

 ture; For violation of this act said owner or 

 caretaker shall on conviction thereof be 

 fined not less than Fifty Dollars nor more 

 than One Hundred Dollars. 



Sec 7.— Common carriers shall not accept 

 bees forshipment without a permit from the 

 State Entomologist or his deputy in charge 

 of apiculture; For violation of this act said 

 common carrier shall on conviction thereof 

 be fined not less than Fifty Dollars nor 

 more than One Hundred Dollars. 



Sec 8. — For the enforcement of the pro- 

 visions of this act the State Entomologist, 

 his deputy or his duly authorized assistants 

 shall have access, ingress or egress to all 

 apiaries or places where bees are kept; and 

 any person or persons who shall resist, im- 

 pede or hinder in any way the inspection of 

 apiaries under the pro visions of thisactshall, 

 on conviction thereof, be fined not less than 

 Fifty Dollars nor more than One Hundred 

 Dollars, or imprisoned not less than one 

 month nor more than two months, or both. 



Sec g.— After inspecting infected hives or 

 fixtures, or handling diseased bees, the in- 

 spector or his assistant shall, before leaving 

 the premises or proceeding to any other api- 

 arv. thoroughly disinfect any portion of his 

 person and clothing, and any tools or appli- 

 ances used by him which have come in 

 contact with infected material, and shall 

 see that any assistant or assistants with him 

 have likewise thoroughly 'disinfected their 

 persons and clothing and any tools and im- 

 plements used by them. 



Sec. 10.— The sum of S2500 per annum is 

 hereby appropriated to be expended for 

 this work under the direction of the State 

 Entomologist, to pay the salary of the deputy 

 in charge of apiculture, the necessary ex- 

 pense in traveling, printing blanks and cir- 

 culars, and in otherwise carrying out the 

 provisions of this act. 



The State Auditor is hereby authorized to 

 draw his warrants upon the State Treasurer 

 for the sum herein appropriated upon the 

 presentation of proper vouchers, and the 

 Treasurer shall pay the same out of any 

 funds in the State Treasury not otherwise 

 appropriated. 



Sec II.— All acts or parts of acts in con- 

 flict with this act are hereby repealed. 



Sec 12.— In the opinion of the General As- 

 sembly an emergency exists and this act 

 shall take effect from and after its passage. 



Alexander Plan of Increase 



The Alexander plan of making in- 

 crease is working fine here this year. 

 Colonies that were covering but one 

 or 2 combs the first of May have built 

 up and been divided on the Alexander 

 plan, and each colony is now (June 15) 

 ready for and working in the extract- 

 ing chambers. This will not work 

 every year, but fruit-bloom was very 

 profuse' and yielded honey for several 

 weeks, and the bees just " spread them- 

 selves." The bees spread their nest 

 and took care of the brood as fast as 

 the queens could lay the eggs. 



Souvenir Bee Postal Cards 



We have 4 Souvenir Postal Cards of 

 interest to bee-keepers. No. 1 is a 

 Teddy Bear card, with stanza of poetry, 

 a straw bee-hive, a jar and section of 

 honey, etc. It is quite sentimental. 

 No. 2 has the words and music of the 

 song, "The Bee-Keeper's Lullaby ;" No. 

 3, the words and music of "Buckwheat 

 Cakes and Honey;" and No. 4, the 

 words and music of "The Humming 

 of the Bees." We send these cards, 

 postpaid, as follows: 4 cards for 10 

 cents, 10 cards for 20 cents ; or 10 cards 

 with the American Bee Journal one 

 year for $1.10. Send all orders to the 

 office of the American Bee Journal. ' 



