1908 



GEEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



745 



of the fact that we offered him an advance in sal- 

 ary he said this was no object, as there were oth- 

 er considerations that required iiis presence at 

 home. 



BEES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



Bee-keeping in South Africa is making prog- 

 ress. One of the drawbacks is the high price of 

 the necessary bee-appliances, due to high freight 

 rates by sea and land, and a high tariff besides. 

 Certain birds and animals prey on bees; but by 

 far the worst is a kind of wasp which seizes the 

 flying bees. The colonists capture these nui- 

 sances by means of sticks or twigs coated with 

 birdlime placed near the apiary. The wasps set- 

 tle on these stakes for the purpose of watching 

 their opportunity to catch bees but are held by 

 the sticky stuff. One small twig will catch a 

 good many. How would this work on the bee- 

 hawks which infest some parts of Florida.? They 

 have the same habit of poising themselves on the 

 end of a twig to watch their prey. The bird- 

 lime is made by boiling linseed oil for hours till 

 it becomes quite sticky. It may also be made 

 from the inner bark of the holly, the juice of the 

 oleander, or the sap of the bread-fruit and similar 

 trees. The following very interesting letter on 

 the subject recently appeared in the Agricultural 

 Journal of the Cape of Good Hope: w. k. m. 



Locally this pest is called " bijvanger," or " bee-pirate." In 

 Bechuanaland it very much resembles the common English wasp. 

 If this is the same insect as is referred to by Mr. F. Lindenberg, 

 I must beg to differ as to its method and reason lor capturing 

 bees. The bee-pirate catches the bee returning to the hive, for 

 the purpose of robbing it of its honey. It first makes its appear- 

 ance in spring, about the time of the first honey-flow, generally 

 about 8 A.M., when the sun is getting hot, knocking off about 5 

 P.M., when the day is cooling. It sits near the entrance of the 

 hive, and catches the bees returning heavily laden with honey, 

 either falling with the bee close to the hive, or beaiing it off 

 some score of yards. It disables the bee, but seldom kills it out- 

 right — at least, those that I have managed to find after the pirate 

 leaves them crawl along the ground, unable to fly, generally be- 

 ing quickly despatched by ants. Bees laden with pollen are 

 never touched. Though in hot weather at midday the bees will 

 half cover the flight-board, they are not molested by the pirates, 

 though the latter will also settle on the flight-board. This, I 

 think, proves that it is not the bees alone that they are alter. I 

 know nothing that will do away with them. Quantities can be 

 killed by striking them with sticks, and by setting birdlime on 

 points of vantage. I have also tried placing the hives behind a 

 big bush, so that the bees might have some chance among the 

 twigs, but it was of no use. They know by instinct that the pi- 

 rates are there, and will not work. We consequently have poor 

 takes in this country, 30 sections being a good average. Not so 

 in the Eastern Province, where I had no trouble in averaging 

 over 90 sections for 20 hives. There are no bee-pirates there, 

 and bee-forage is abundant. 



Section honey is most in demand. People will not take to 

 Colonial extracted honey. They want proof of its purity by see- 

 ing the comb. I do not think it is of much use for the govern- 

 ment to provide experts to encourage bee-keeping unless they 

 first place a prohibitive tax on imported honey, reduce that on 

 appliances, etc., and reduce railway rates. Even now honey 

 fetches no better price near the coast than in England, and hives 

 and bee-goods are 50 per cent dearer. In such a thinly populated 

 country the demand for honey is not so great as it would appear, 

 and too many bee-keepers would cause a glut in the market, and 

 bee-keeping would cease to pay. Many Dutch and most Kafirs 

 prefer "young brood" to honey, both as a food and for making 

 drinks and yeast. These will never be induced to produce honey. 



I can not understand importing bees to this country, with the 

 risks of foul brood, which, if it once obtains a footing, will nev- 

 er be eradicated. Our duty is rather to export bees. I believe 

 our bees are equal to those of any country, and why not better >. 

 They are well marked and colored, most wonderful workers of 

 excellent comb honey, easily handled with ordinary care, and 

 more easily subdued than the English bee — provided they have 

 honey to fill themselves on being alarmed. 



I have had no trouble in taking wild nests and securing the 

 bees. After driving the bees I tie a piece of comb containing 

 young larvaf in the hive prepared for the swarm. I then throw a 

 few bees on the top of the frames and close down. I then, if 

 possible, secure the queen and place her in the hive, and throw 



the remainder in front of the hive, when they will soon run in. 

 In a few hours the bees will be seen working. They will never 

 leave, provided honey is obtainable: if not they may " hunger 

 swarm," which is prevented by placing an excluder over the en- 

 trance and by feeding. This is advisable in any case, as in this 

 country we have the death's-head moth, which enters the hive 

 after honey, and a large black beetle which devours the young 

 larv^. A space should, however, be left for the exit of the 

 queen at swarming or mating time, and for the easier removal of 

 dead bees. W. H. Edmunds. 



Vryburg, South Africa. 



THE STAND OF THE ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF AG- 

 RICULTURE ON THE SUBJECT OF SPRAYING 

 FRUIT-TREES WHILE IN BLOOM. 



On this question we have just received from 

 Prof. P. W. Hodgetts, of the Ontario Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Canada, something that 

 will be of special interest to bee-keepers and 

 fruit-growers alike. Prof. Hodgetts represents 

 both departments of the fruit-growing and hon- 

 ey-producing business, and his statement gives 

 tremendous weight to the contention of bee- 

 keepers and the intelligent and progressive fruit- 

 growers of this country, that the spraying of 

 trees while in bloom is attended with loss by 

 both interests. His letter is as follows: 



ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, TORONTO. 



Fruit and Honey Branch, 



p. w. HODGETTS. TORONTO, May 28, 1908. 



Dear Sir: — I note in one of your late issues a reference to the 

 spraying of fruit-trees in bloom, and the consequent loss of bees 

 therefrom. This subject was thoroughly debated in full by our 

 fruit-growers' and bee-keepers' associations a inumber of years 

 ago, and an act was passed prohibiting the spraying of fruit-trees 

 while in bloom. The act has been enforced in a number of 

 cases, and for a few years a reward was offered by the Provincial 

 Association for the detecting of such cases. For the past few 

 years, however, we have done away with the reward, as it was 

 not found to be necessary. We have been distributing placards 

 among the members of the Association, and have asked them to 

 place these prominently in their neighborhood. 1 am enclosing 

 a copy of the same herewith. We believe that the practice has 

 now been eliminated in the Province ol Ontario. 

 Very truly yours, 



P. W. Hodgetts, Sec. 



A copy of the placard above mentioned is here 

 given: 



WARNING! 

 AGAINST SPRAYING FRUIT-TREES IN FULL BLOOM. 



The Ontario Bee-keepers' Association desires to draw the at- 

 tention of the public to the fact that a number of members suffer 

 from persons spraying fruit-trees in full bloom, their bees being 

 killed from the poison in the spraying mixture. This practice is 

 prohibited by an Act ol Parliament assented to in 1892, the pro- 

 visions of which are as follows: 



1. No person in spraying or sprinkling fruit-trees, during the 

 period within which such trees are in full bloom, shall use or 

 cause to be used any mixture containing Paris green or any other 

 poisonous substance injurious to bees. 



2. Any person contravening the provisions of this Act shall, on 

 summary conviction thereof before a justice of the peace, be sub- 

 ject to a penalty of not less than $1.00 nor more than $5.00, with 

 or without costs of prosecution; and in case of a fine or a fine and 

 costs being awarded, and of the same not being, upon convic- 

 tion, forthwith paid, the justice may commit the offender to the 

 common jail, there to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding 

 thirty days, unless the fine and costs are sooner paid. 



The best fruit-growers consider spraying during the period of 

 full bloom as a useless waste of material, and harmful to the set- 

 ting of the fruit. It is universally condemned by entomologists 

 in every part of America. The recommended formulas, as sent 

 out by both the Federal and Provincial Departments of Agricul- 

 ture, state distinctly to spray apple-orchards with Bordeaux and 

 some arsenical poison: 1. Just as leaf-buds are expanding; 2. 

 Just before blossoms open ; 3. Just after blossoms fall ; 4. Every 

 ten days later if required. 



Bee-keepers and fruit-growers are both urged to see that this 

 harmful practice of spraying during bloom is stopped. 



It is hoped that the law will not have to be applied, as most 

 persons are unaware of the harm that they do themselves as well 

 as the bee-keepers 



Signed on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Ontario 

 Bee-keepers' Association. 



F. J. Miller, Pres., P. W. Hodgetts, Sec, 



Ealing P. O., London. Dept. of .Agriculture, Toronto. 



