196 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



March 26, 1903. 



Chicago-Northwestern Convention. 



Report of the Chicagro-Northwestern Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Convention, held in Chicag-o, 

 Dec. 3 and 4, 1902. 



BV OUR OWN SHORTHAND REPORTER. 



(Continued from pa^e 182 ) 

 IS SPRAYING IN BLOOM A CRIME ? 



" Is Spraying fruit-trees in full bloom a crime against 

 bee-keepers ?" 



Mr. France — I think in four States of the United States 

 there are laws on that subject, making it a criminal offense 

 to spray fruit-trees with poisons. 



Pres. York — It is not a crime in Illinois, but it is not a 

 good thing to follow to spray fruit-trees while in blossom. 



Mr. Moore — I would ask the president to ask some one 

 here who knows about that to explain it in detail. This is 

 very interesting, and I am sure some of them have not got 

 it in their minds why fruit-trees, or, rather, why blossoms 

 should not be sprayed with poisonous mixtures. 



Pres. York — Mr. Abbott, why should fruit-trees not be 

 sprayed while in blossom ? 



Mr. Abbott — Because it is dangerous to the life of the 

 fruit itself. Any kind of mixture is detrimental to the devel- 

 opment of the germ, and if we could make the most farmers 

 understand that — if they could see that they are killing the 

 best fruit they have when they try to kill something that 

 doesn't exist. There will nothing hinder it except the can- 

 ker-worm, and a man who is wide-awake and looks after 

 them can have them all exterminated before fruit is in 

 blossom, and then wait a few days and go after them again 

 as soon as the time is past and the bloom has fallen, and get 

 rid of them in that way. That is the only thing that I 

 know of that we have in Missouri that can be reached. They 

 are simply wasting their time trying to reach the coddling- 

 moth. The reason you can't kill them is, they have a way 

 of hanging at the end of the blossom of the apple ; they do 

 not immediately enter the apple but eat around, and while 

 the apple is yet upright if a little poison lodges in there and 

 the blossom closes up the larva goes in there and eats it and 

 kills him. If you get some poison in there, and they will 

 stay, you can do something ; but over 10 percent go some 

 place else. 



Mr. Fluegge — I would like to say that the farmers 

 around our way got into the habit of not using a spray or 

 mixture, but they throw the poison with a powder-gun, 

 blow it up into the blossom. That would poison just as 

 the spray. 



Pres. York — Would the powder injure the blossom as 

 much as the moist spray ? 



Mr. Kluck — The powder will only hang to the tree or to 

 the blossom if it is a little moist. If it is dry it will scarcely 

 make anj' effect, and it will not do any harm ; and if it is 

 damp, why the bees will get the poison just the same as if 

 sprayed. 



Mr. Fluegge — The farmers out our way get up quite 

 early while the dew is on the fruit-trees. 



Dr. Miller — The important part to have made public in 

 that matter is, that the poison coming upon the delicate 

 end of the pistil injures them. We are not so anxious that 

 the people shall know that it hurts the bees, but we are 

 anxious that they shall know that it hurts the fruit, and to 

 throw the poison there, either dry or moist, or take it at a 

 time when it is moist from the dew, there is moisture 

 enough in that pistil so that when the dry powder is thrown 

 upon it it will hurt the fruit. 



Mr. Abbott — Another important thing is to have the 

 farmer understand that he Is not only running the risk of 

 the possibility of injuring the fruit, but he is wasting his 

 powder. He is shooting at the squirrel, not the squirrel 

 that has run in the hole, but the squirrel that hasn't even 

 gone into the hole, or hasn't even been there. The farmers 

 are shooting at an animal before it is born. 



Mr. Johansen — Whether it is powder spray or a liquid it 

 is on the same principle, the powder is sprayed when the 

 dew is on, and would form a liquid, and the poison to the 

 bees would be just the same as if the liquid were sprayed 

 on it. It has been decided by different experiments that it 

 is injurious to the fruit, that it will kill a large percent of 

 the blossoms. I always read every spraying article, and I 

 have never found one who advised spraying while in blos- 

 som except Wm. Stahl. All the information we can get 

 from an experiment station is that it is detrimental to the 

 fruit, and greatly so. 



Mr. Armstrong — We have said that the spraying is 

 criminal. Is it criminal because we are destroying the 

 bees? We are speaking in behalf of the bees now. 



Dr. Miller — It is not criminal in this State. I think Mr. 

 France mentioned that there were four States in which it is 

 criminal. It is criminal there simply because it is against 

 the law. The law is, that they shall not spray while the 

 fruit is in blossom. 



BEES USING MOIST POLLEN IN SPRING. 



"Will combs of moist pollen left out in empty hives be 

 used by bees in the spring?" 



Dr. Miller — Yes, to a certain extent, if the bees are 

 scarce of pollen, and there is no pollen yielding in the flow- 

 ers. When there is plenty of pollen in the flowers they 

 prefer to take that. 



Mr. Fluegge — Will not the weather bake it hard so that 

 the bees can not use it ? 



Dr. Miller — As a rule, if you leave it there long enough 

 it will become dry and hard. I was answering on the sup- 

 position that it was in good condition. 



Mr. Fluegge — To save such combs what should be done 

 to keep them in good condition to use the next spring ? 



Dr. Miller — They keep during the winter, and in the 

 spring put them in the care of the bees. 



Mr. Whitney — Suppose that those cells of pollen be- 

 come molded by being out in hives during such weather as 

 we had the past season ? What would you do with them ? 



Dr. Miller — Then I think it would spoil. 



Mr. Whitney — You would count that the whole of the 

 pollen in the cells was injured ? 



Dr. Miller — I don't know, the under part might be good, 

 but I wouldn't count on it any. I wouldn't use it. 



Mr. Whitney — I had something of that kind for the first 

 time this fall ; I left it out a few days longer than I should. 

 It was outside in damp weather and the pollen molded. 



Dr. Miller — I wouldn't like to use it. 



Mr. Wilcox — I have many times had combs stored in 

 an outside cellar in which they frequently become molded, 

 and I placed them in the hives in the spring and the bees 

 carried it out. 



Dr. Miller — I was thinking of putting it in the hives for 

 the winter. In the spring I wouldn't hesitate giving the 

 bees anything. 



Mr. Whitney — Those frames of molded pollen are out- 

 side, and will be kept out. 



REMOVING POLLEN FROM COMBS. 



" How can pollen be removed from combs when not 

 needed ?" 



Dr. Miller — I should say it isn't needed when it is all 

 dried and spoiled, and then I should try to get out by soak- 

 ing it. 



Mr. Pettit — I asked that question myself. In my locality 

 we have more pollen than we know what to do with. I have 

 been in the habit of melting up good combs because I did 

 not know how profitably to get the pollen out of them. 



Mr. Gerbracht — If one cares to go to the trouble of tak- 

 ing the pollen it can be soaked for half a day or so, and 

 then can readily be washed out with an ordinary spray. 



Mr. France — I had a sample sent by an Illinois bee- 

 keeper in this vicinity lately. He had what he called a sur- 

 plus of pollen in the combs, and wishing to keep these 

 combs for extracting-combs he soaked them and then hung 

 them out for that mixture to penetrate — then tried to throw 

 the pollen out with the extractor, if possible. In part he 

 succeeded. In a little while, upon examining these, he 

 found there were millions of little life in these combs. He 

 feared that something had gotten in them, and it wasn't 

 foul brood, and he wanted me to examine them ; and under 

 the microscope I found they were little live maggots, and it 

 was then in the maggot eggs. I asked him if it was in the 

 couib where there were bees? They don't destroy comb 

 very much, but are working largely to destroy comb. 



