Part I.] STATE INSPECTOR OF APIARIES. 141 



the fact that there were few reports of damage resulting from 

 poisonous sprays, or whether the horticulturists and beekeepers 

 are more closely guarding each other's interests, is not certain, 

 yet exceedingly few reports of disaster were received. 



Chemical Studies. — Progress in the investigation of the sub- 

 ject is being made. Dr. E. B. Holland, in his important tech- 

 nical paper referred to elsewhere, says, "The toxic dose [of 

 arsenic] for bees is unquestionably small, whatever the figure," 

 he having found "a small amount of arsenic" in 12 samples 

 out of 23 submitted. Arsenic was also obtained from two sam- 

 ples of stored pollen.^ 



Particularly noteworthy, also, are the results of Dr. Hol- 

 land's technique in examinations for arsenic in bees, wherein 

 the methods have been materially simplified and made more 

 direct. His paper deals not only with the report of the result 

 of the examination of the twenty-three submitted samples, but 

 also outlines his methods of analysis, as for "destroying the 

 organic matter," and finally closes with a discussion of the 

 "toxic dose of arsenic in bees." 



Repellent Sprays. — The writer has previously mentioned, 

 publicly and in print, the possiblie discovery and development 

 of spray materials repellent to honeybees. Some interest among 

 investigators along this line has already been induced. 



As a preliminary observation the writer on July 7, 1916,^ ap- 

 plied spray to a European linden which was in full bloom. A 

 tree as near typical as possible was selected. One-half only of 

 the tree was sprayed with a lime sulphur solution of 1-25, — 

 the strength usually employed. The sprajing was done be- 

 tween 9.30 and 10 o'clock, in the morning of a bright, calm 

 day. 



As soon as the spray was applied the bees, which could be 

 seen and heard buzzing in the tree, left that portion of the 

 tree which was being spraj-ed. It is possible that a spray of 

 water would have temporarily driven the bees out. However, 

 unlike water, the lime sulphur apparently repelled the honey- 

 bees, at least for a time. That portion of the tree not having 

 been sprayed continued to be worked by bees. Incidentally, 



' Beekeeping samples Nos. 61 and 68. 



> Under the auspices of the Agricultural College Experiment Station. 



