APRIT- 1. 1915 



Considerable injury lias been done to bees in 

 various parts of the state by injudicious spraying; 

 and those who have suffered loss therefrom should 

 make it a special point to write their senator and 

 representative, stating the facts in the case, and 

 also write Wesley Green, State House, Des Moines, 

 naming the parties who do such spraying. 



Now, in order to get these bills passed, every 

 beekeeper should address a letter to his senator and 

 his representatives, asking their support of the 

 above bills, and one to the Agricultural Committee 

 members, asking them to report favorably on the 

 first-mentioned bill. Tlie members of the committee 

 are Senator .Mien, .Vrney, Hammar, Fleck, Foskett, 

 Dirr, Eversmeyer, Perkins, Fellows, Farr, Lindley, 

 Balkema, Nye, Savage. Grant, White of Iowa Co., 

 and White of Benton Co., and Senator Doran, who 

 is chairman of the committee. 



Do not put this off until another day when it is 

 a little more convenient. We .must not let these 

 bills die in committee. In order to get them through, 

 every beekeeper should act immediately, and should 

 not stop short of six letters. They need not be long, 

 but tell them what you want, and do it at once. 



Des Moines, la. F. C. Scranton. 



How our Bees have Wintered 



To date very few days have been warm 

 enough for bees to fly. We have observed 

 for nearly two weeks that the bees in the 

 warehouse cellar showed signs of dysentery 

 — at times getting quite uneasj-. Yesterday 

 morning, March 19, the sun came out bright. 

 We hustled the bees out with the auto truck 

 and team to our basswood yard, where most 

 of tliem belong. They flew, and cleaned up 

 in fine shape. Although but one colony had 

 died outright, many were needing a flight 

 badly, and were evidently put out just in 

 time. A few days longer in the cellar would 

 have meant disaster. The condition was 

 due, undoubtedly, to aster-honey stores. We 

 are fearful that these colonies will dwindle 

 badly unless the weather from now on is 

 very favorable. 



Our queen-breeder, Mr. Pritchard, had 

 some colonies in the same cellar that had 

 been fed sugar syrup last fall, and these 

 showed up in much better shape. 



Bees in the machine-shop cellar are quiet 

 and contented since the cleansing flight 

 which they had on February 20. 



Spring is advancing slowly — in fact, so 

 far there has not been a single day fit to 

 open hives and examine the bees excepting 

 to lift covers and look for stores and size 

 of cluster. Colonies in the big winter cases 

 and Buckeye chaff hives are just about as 

 previously reported, with brood-rearing 

 progressing slowly. Jn the end this may be 

 all for the best, as slow gains usually mean 

 sure gains in brood-rearing. We are always 

 appreliensive of a spring that gives too 

 warm weather in March, and then turns 

 cold later. Heavy losses of brood are almo.st 

 sure to result. 



As we have often pointed out, there are 

 many differences in conditions only a few 

 miles apart. In this connection the follow- 

 ing letter from A. C. Ames will explain it- 

 self. Mr. Ames' bees are not much over 

 fifteen miles in a direct line from the 

 apiary that we are wintering in the large 

 quadruple eases. 



Dear Mr. Hoot : — I have just read your editorial 

 in the March 1st issue in regard to the large cases. 

 It seems very strange to me that you did not find 

 brood. I examined the brood-nest the same day you 

 did, and found brood in all stages from eggs to 

 young bees. I examined six colonies, and found 

 only one colony that did not have sealed brood, and 

 in three colonies I found young bees. I have never 

 had bees winter in a more perfect condition. Of 

 course we have March to deal with, and sometimes 

 it is the hardest month; but as we have had several 

 good fly da\ s I do not fear the result. 



It is quite cold to-day (March 9) ; but the bees 

 are carrying water. When we consider these good 

 results we must also take into consideration that 

 this has been one of the best winters we have had 

 for years — good steady winter weather without much 

 if any wind. Wind is the worst thing we have to 

 contend with in winter. 



I believe bees will winter well in all the northern 

 states. 



Peninsula, Ohio, March 9. A. C. Ames. 



All Imterview witEi Dr. Ao J, Cook, ot 



We had an interesting interview with Dr. 

 A. J. Cook, Horticultural Commissioner of 

 California, who is located at Sacramento. 

 In refeiTing to the sprays that were falling 

 upon the cover crops of western Colorado, 

 and which, it was believed, wei'e killing bees 

 in a wholesale way, he gave it as his opin- 

 ion that these spraying liquids would kill 

 the bees in large numbers. There had been 

 several experiences of that kind in Califor- 

 nia. He was recommending the vetches, 

 which do not come into bloom when the 

 spraj's are applied. In fact, he doubted if 

 it were necessary for the Colorado fruit- 

 growers to spray as often as they were do- 

 ing. If the work were properlij done it 

 would hardly be necessaiy, he thought, to 

 spray when the cover crops of clover were 

 in bloom. 



He admitted that the very Ary climate of 

 Colorado might call for more sprayings 

 than were found necessary in California, 

 but he thought if the fruitmen and beemen 

 would get together they could easily ar- 

 range the matter so there would be no loss 

 to any one. 



Cover crops are being used throughout 

 the western orchards lo a very gi'eat extent, 

 both to supply nitrogen to the soil and to 

 keep it from drying out too quickly. When 



