194 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



June 



The New Iowa Law 



BY FRANK C. PELLETT. 



IN my Fifth Annual Report as State 

 Bee Inspector of Iowa, I proposed 

 that some radical changes be made 

 in the inspection law. It was proposed 

 that the appointment of the inspector 

 be taken out of politics and left to the 

 State Board of Education the same as 

 all college professors are selected. It 

 was further proposed that a man be 

 employed on full time and that ques- 

 tions of marketing, wintering and other 

 beekeeping problems be given the 

 same attention that is given to the con- 

 trol of disease. When the proposed 

 changes were presented to the Iowa 

 beekeepers at the State convention it 

 was distinctly stated that under no cir- 

 cumstances would I be a candidate for 

 the new position, as I did not wish to 

 seem to be striving to make a better 

 position for my own benefit. 



After the beekeepers had endorsed 

 the proposed change in the law the 

 matter was taken up with the Attorney 

 General and the President of the Agri- 

 cultural College, and a bill drawn which 

 covered the ground of the proposed 

 changes and yet which eliminated 

 things to which either the Attorney 

 General or the college objected. It was 

 only the day before adjournment of the 

 Legislature that the final action was 

 taken when a conference committee of 

 the house and senate harmonized a dif- 

 ference in regard to the appropriation 

 for the support of the work. Their re- 

 port was adopted by unanimous vote of 

 both houses. 



Since there is some misunderstand- 

 ing of the things which I first proposed 

 and which the new law provides for, 

 judging by the editor's comments and 

 also those by Mr. Bender, it may not 

 be out of place to give some details of 

 the provisions of the new law which 

 carries out the suggestions as made in 

 my report to the governor. 



On page 232 of Productive "Beekeep- 

 ing," I made this prophecy: "Within 

 a few years the inspection work, instead 

 of being under direction of a separate 

 State department, as now in many 

 States, will be organized in connection 

 with extension work in beekeeping." 



Iowa, as far as I know, is the first 

 State to adopt this plan. Judging from 

 the comments that have appeared in 

 the American Bee Journal, there seems 

 to be an impression that we proposed 

 to abandon inspection for extension. 

 (See page 92). Rather have we pro- 

 posed that it be enlarged and that the 

 limited funds available be expended 

 more efficiently by giving demonstra- 

 tions to groups of beekeepers rather 

 than by going through every hive in a 

 certain limited number of apiaries. Our 

 new law requires the State apiarist to 

 inspect bees suspected of being affected 

 with foulbrood or other contagious or 

 infectious disease common to bees, on 

 written request of one beekeeper. The 

 old law required such request to be 

 signed by at least three beekeepers. 

 The new law provides a penalty or fine 

 of $50 or 30 days imprisonment in the 

 county jail for failure to give proper 

 treatment. 



I did propose that the State office of 

 bee inspector be abolished, and the 

 inspection work placed under direction 

 of the college. It was the political office 

 which I suggested to be abolished, but 



I did not at any time propose that the 

 work be abandoned. Misleading state- 

 ments appeared in the newspapers and 

 some misunderstanding has resulted. A 

 careful reading of my Fifth Report 

 should make it clear that at no time 

 was it intended to do away with inspec- 

 tion entirely. 



In addition to the provision for in- 

 spection, we have the added advantage 

 of being able to call for assistance in 

 marketing, wintering, or other prob- 

 lems in the care of the apiary or the 

 production of honey. 



There were some dangerous provis- 

 ions in the old law. The appointment 

 was left to the governor, and might 

 easily have been given as a political 

 reward, as is too often the case with 

 appointive offices. Some other pro- 

 visions of the old law, which might 

 easily become a menace rather than a 

 protection to the beekeeper, have been 

 removed. The inspection laws in sev- 

 eral of the States contain provisions 

 which are unconstitutional in the opin- 

 ion of very able lawyers, and if put to 

 the test in the courts, they are quite 

 likely to be overturned completely, 

 leaving the beekeeping interests with- 

 out protection. All these things have 

 been considered in drawing the Iowa 

 law, and, while it is not yet all that 

 may be desired, we feel that it is a long 

 step in advance for Iowa beekeeping 

 interests. The old law remains in 

 effect until July 1, at which time the 

 office of bee inspector as at present 

 constituted goes out of existence and 

 the present inspector will be relieved 

 of further responsibility for the work. 



The new official is to be designated 

 as State Apiarist, and is to be appointed 

 by the State Board of Education on the 

 recommendation of the director of 

 agricultural extension and the profes- 

 sor of entomology of the college of 

 agriculture. The college authorities 

 have not yet announced their selection 

 of a man to fill the place. It is very 

 probable that a man already connected 

 with the institution will be selected. 



Atlantic, Iowa. 



A Foundation Foulbrood Cure 



BY A. F. WAGNER. 



I CALL my method the " Wagner 

 F"oundation Foulbrood Cure" be- 

 cause the one and the same frame 

 is used in every manipulation. In in- 

 troducing this method for the cure of 

 American foulbrood, I want to state 

 that I have tried every known method 

 advocated the last 15 years, both with 

 and without drugs, having been inspec- 

 tor of apiaries for nine years. I found 

 drugs an absolute failure. 



The McEvoy treatment is all right 

 when properly done. But it caused so 

 much confusion from absconding and 

 from stray bees entering healthy colo- 

 nies that I gave it up. How many peo- 

 ple make the remark: "The colony I 

 treated is all right but I have several 

 new cases." Exactly as I stated, too 

 much confusion, bees from diseased 

 colonies entering healthy colonies 

 loaded with honey. The secret of the 

 whole thing is to remove the diseased 

 comb and honey with the least confu- 

 sion possible. 



METHOD OF TREATMENT. 



Never undertake to treat diseased 



colonies unless there is a reasonable 

 flow of honey coming in, neither do 

 any work at night, as in this treatment 

 it is not necessary. On the first day 

 remove all combs and honey except the 

 brood. This should ordinarily leave 

 five or six combs with brood. Insert 

 in the center of this one frame contain- 

 ing about two inches of coynb foundation. 

 Leave in this condition about 48 hours. 

 By the end of that period the founda- 

 tion should be well drawn out and you 

 are ready for the next operation. Now 

 place a new or clean hive containing 

 full sheets of comb foundation in the 

 old location. Shake all the bees from 

 the diseased comb and hive into this. 

 'P\3iCS the frame containing the dra-wn 

 comb foundation in the new hive next 

 to the wall. This should by this time 

 be drawn out considerably. The dis- 

 eased combs should be treated by the 

 usual method. If you are prepared to 

 melt this into wax by having proper 

 utensils, well and good, otherwise burn 

 them. By all means take no chances. 

 Now you are to wait another 48 hours 

 when you are to remove the frame con- 

 taining the two inches of comb founda- 

 tion and the two adjoining frames. 



If you have followed the directions 

 you may be absolutely certain that the 

 disease is cured. Your bees have not 

 been greatly disturbed, as they have 

 had no such radical treatment as would 

 cause confusion or the tendency to ab- 

 scond. They have consumed all the 

 diseased honey in drawing out the 

 comb foundation, and with the con- 

 sumption of the honey the disease dis- 

 appeared. 



Let me dwell a little longer on the 

 frame containing the tzco inches of comb 

 foundation. This is the entire secret 

 of success. It answers a double pur- 

 pose ; first, prevention of absconding; 

 second, storage of diseased honey 

 which is removed in the last operation. 

 Therefore, your success depends upon 

 the frame. The strength of the colony 

 will tell you how many combs should 

 be removed with this frame at the last 

 treatment; usually one or two is advis- 

 able, never remove more. 



In writing this I take it for granted 

 that you are familiar enough with bee 

 diseases that it will not be necessary to 

 describe the symptoms. If you are in 

 any doubt, call for the inspector. 

 Above all be sure you are certain of 

 the disease. This is an absolute cure 

 for American foulbrood. 



Imperial Valley, Calif. 



Treatment of Foulbrood 



BY GALE H. PATTERSON. 



I HAVE read with much interest the 

 article by J. L. Byer on American 

 foulbrood in the American Bee 

 Journal of November, 1916, and am 

 surprised that he should still recom- 

 mend the old method of shaking bees 

 on starters and shaking again at the 

 end of three days onto full sheets of 

 foundation, as I supposed that this 

 treatment had become obsolete in the 

 east, and other method taken its 

 place as they have in Colorado. We 

 used this method for several years, as 

 it was the only treatment we knew of 

 at that time, and while it almost inva- 

 riably effected a cure, we found that 

 about half of the treated colonies would 

 abscond after the second shake. 



