272 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



more bees in the important clover region tlian ever before. The 

 demand for qneenbees to be furnished by professional queen breeders 

 was so great during the spring of 1919 that practically all of them 

 had more orders by May 1 than they could fill during the entire 

 summer. In the West, where the loss of bees was not unusual, there 

 has been even a greater increase in the holdings of the larger bee- 

 keepers, resulting in a greater difference between the commercial 

 lioldings and the bees in the hands of amateur beekeepers. The ten- 

 dency to collect the bees of the country in the hands of commercial 

 beekeepers is a most wholesome sign for the proper development of 

 tlie beekeeping industry for the future, and the war's net result on 

 beekeeping will be an increase in the commercial aspect of the busi- 

 ness. The increase of commercial beekeeping has greatly increased 

 tlie demand for assistance to beekeepers and has made them eager 

 to accept the extension activities of the office. The correspondence 

 of the office is now twice what it was before the entrance of the 

 United States into the war. The demand for beekeepers' supplies 

 and for literature on beekeeping- has been greater than ever before 

 in the history of beekeeping in the country. 



In explanation of the desirability of making the beekeeping in- 

 dustry one which is in the hands of professional beekeepers rather 

 than to urge the keeping of bees on every farm, it may be stated 

 that the prevalence of the two destructive l3rood diseases throughout 

 the country, and especially the necessity of careful study of bee- 

 keeping problems in order to obtain the maximum crop, make it 

 almost impossible for the person having only a few colonies to give 

 the care to the bees which will result in good beekeeping. Only 

 the man who makes this his chief work may expect to get the returns 

 which are obtained from colonies properly cared for. 



GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE WAR ACTIVITIES OF THE BUREAU. 



(1) A very perfect system of reporting insect outbreaks was 

 organized, the result of which was a close knowledge of the exact 

 conditions almost from day to day of insect-pest increase over the 

 w^hole United States. These conditions were made known to all 

 of the economic entomologists of the country through circular let- 

 ters, and by cooperation based upon thi^ intimate knowledge crop 

 pests were held in check and food production greatly helped. 



(2) By conferences with the chemists and the insecticide manu- 

 facturers the problem of the reduced quantity of arsenic (on account 

 of its use in munitions) was met, and by conservative use and better 

 distribution the supply was made to cover the needs of the farmers, 

 fruit growers, gardeners, and others. 



(3) The bureau assisted the Quartermaster General's Department 

 of the Army by inspecting the enormous quantities of grain and 

 other material intended for shipment to Europe and gave advice 

 as to fumigation and other treatment when such stored products 

 were found to be infested with insects. It also inspected ware- 

 liouses and mills in the same way in many parts of the country. 



(4) Advice was given to representatives of the War and Navy 

 Departments and the Shipping Board relative to insect damage to 

 lumber and stored wooden implements. 



