63 



QUESTION. I would like to inquire if bees would 

 have any tendency to keep away injurious insects by work- 

 ing in the trees. 



PKOF. SEARS. You mean, the codling moth, for in- 

 stance? 



QUESTION. Yes. 



PROF. CHENOWETH. I don't belive they would. 



PROF. SEARS. I think they would require some 

 training before they would do that. 



MRS. BROOKS. How can you arrange to spray so as 

 not to interfere with the bees, so that they will be safe? 

 The blossoms of the different trees fall at different times, 

 and 3^ou can't hang around with the spraying apparatus at 

 the different places. 



PROF. CHENOWETH. You would have to take the 

 time when the maximum number of trees are shedding theic 

 petals, and do it then. You would probably kill a few 

 bees, but not enough to do serious damage. 



MRS. BROOKS. I started keeping bees with one hive, 

 and I wouldn't allow the men to spray the trees until the 

 blossoms had all fallen, consequently the spraying didn't do 

 any good. 



PROF. CHENOWETH. You waited too long. 



MRS. BROOKS. Some of the blossoms fell early. 



PROF. CHENOWETH. I should say that if you began 

 to spray when two-thirds or three-fourths of the blossoms 

 had fallen, there wouldn't be any great amount of damage. 



MRS. BROOKS. Do they work on the apple blossoms 

 until the very last? 



PROF. CHENOWETH. Until the petals begin to fall, 

 and then, of course, the pollen is dried up and the nectar 

 has ceased to secrete, and then of course the bees have noth- 

 ing further to induce them to visit the tree. 



MR. PURRINGTON. How late can you spray for the 

 codling moth, when the apple is standing up with the blow 

 end open, before it closes, which is usually considered to be 

 about a week, possibly sometimes stretching out to eight or 

 nine days after the petals have fallen? 



PROF. SEARS. I think that depends a good deal on 

 the weather. If you have cold weather, you can stretch 



