AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



49 



Spraying of Fruit Trees. 



After the election of officers, Prof. J. 

 A. Lintner, State Entomologist for New 

 York, asked to be allowed to say a few 

 words in regard to the practice of spray- 

 ing fruit trees with Paris green or Lon- 

 don purple, or any arsenical poison. In 

 substance, he said that this practice had 

 become indispensable to success in fruit 

 growin-g. The egg of the codling-moth 

 is laid just as the blossom falls, and a 

 short time after this is the time to spray 

 the trees in order to destroy the just- 

 hatched larva ; but spraying Is also re- 

 sorted to in order to destroy the curculio 

 and other insects, and it would be an 

 advantage, so far as the destruction of 

 some insects is concerned, if spraying 

 could be resorted to previous to and 

 during the bloom. I have always ad- 

 vised against spraying during the time 

 of blooming, although I think experi- 

 ments are needed to prove that spraying 

 the bloom is injurious to bees. I would 

 like to know if any one present knmvs 

 that bees have been injured by the 

 spraying of trees in bloom. 



C: P. Dadant— Mr. J. G. Smith, of 

 New Canton, Pike County, Ills., lost 60 

 colonies of bees from the heavy spraying 

 of trees before, during and after the 

 bloom. 



Prof. Lintner — I would ask if there 

 was any examination made of the honey 

 to see if a trace of arsenic could be de- 

 .tected ? Unless this was done, or there 

 are other similar cases, I must beg leave 

 to doubt if bees were killed by the poison. 

 There are other injurious insects besides 

 the codling moth ; and, in fighting some 

 of these, it is necessary to spray before 

 and during the bloom, but, as I have 

 already said, I have advised against 

 spraying during bloom, because there 

 have been reports that bees have been 

 killed thereby. I think it is in Illinois 

 only where legislation has been attempt- 

 ed upon this point. 



I. L. Scofield — We had a large num- 

 ber of healthy colonies when spraying 

 began, and many colonies were dead 

 when the spraying season was at an 

 end. 



Prof. Lintner — There need be no 

 question upon this matter, as an analysis 

 of the honey gathered, or of the honey 

 in the sacs of the bees that die, would 

 set the matter at rest. 



C. P. Dadant — That would not answer, 

 as the bees that eat the poison may not 

 reach their home. Then, again, how 

 are we to prove that the bees obtained 



the poison from such-and-such an or- 

 chard ? Bee-keepers never have good, 

 strong, healthy colonies die during 

 apple bloom. It is a thing unheard of, 

 except where trees have been sprayed, 

 during bloom, in the neighborhood. 



■ J. E. Crane — I know of a man who 

 sprayed his trees during bloom, and re- 

 ported finding large quantities of dead 

 bees under his trees. 



R. McKnight — I think many bees are 

 killed by the use of Paris green on 

 potato vines. 



G. H. Knickerbocker — Many use the 

 poison too strong. 



C. P. Dadant— If the poison used is 

 strong enough to kill the insects that 

 feed upon the blossoms, why will not the 

 bees that gather the nectar suffer in a 

 like manner? In our locality, spraying 

 during bloom has been dropped. ^ 



P. H. Elwood — I saw a statement by 

 Prof. Cook, saying that he had fed bees 

 a solution of arsenic of the standard 

 strength for killing insects, and it killed 

 the bees. Now, if the poison kills one 

 insect, why not another? 



Prof. Lintner — The insects killed are 

 so small that the poison used for the 

 work need not be strong enough to in- 

 jure the bees. 



G. M. Doolittle — I shoald not like to 

 have it go out that the spraying of potato 

 vines causes more damage than the 

 spraying of fruit bloom. We do not lose 

 bees at the time of the year when pota- 

 toes are being sprayed, but at the time 

 of spraying during fruit bloom. 



E. R. Root — In the great mass of cor- 

 respondence that passes through our 

 hands, I notice that many complain of 

 the loss of bees from the spraying of 

 fruit trees, but no such complaints come 

 at the season oS the year when potatoes 

 are sprayed. 



The Society decided by vote that at 

 the present state of our knowledge, the 

 spraying of fruit trees while in bloom is 

 condemned. 



A vote of thanks was given Prof. 

 Lintner. 



It was thought that a committee 

 ought to be appointed to make or look 

 after experiments made with a view to 

 proving whether the spraying of trees 

 while In bloom actually does lead to the 

 destruction of bees. The following gen- 

 tlemen were appointed : S. Cornell, 

 Lindsay, Ont., J. E. Crane, Middleburg, 

 Vt., and I. L. Scofield, of Chenango 

 Bridge, N. Y. This committee was to 

 act with Prof. Lintner. 



