534 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JutY 1. 



the direction of the experiment stations at Geneva 

 and at Ithaca, for the purpose of iiivrstigating the 

 siibjtct as to whether or not there is any advantage to 

 the fruit grower in spraying trees when in bloom. 

 Both of the stations referred to are planning experi- 

 ments in this line the coming season. 



S. A. Beach, 

 Horticulturist, Exp. Station, Geneva, N. Y. 



I believe it is the consen,sus of opinion among ex- 

 periment station men as well as the majority of prac- 

 tical grower-s who practice sp aying that it is not ad- 

 visable to spray while the fruit trees are in bloom. 

 Out experience in spraying at thir- station, covering a 

 perio I of nearly ten years, indicates that insect and 

 fungous pe^ts that are controllable by spraying may 

 be as .succe-s.-fully dealt with by spraying just before 

 and just after the blossoming period as by spraying 

 while the blossoms are on. This tallies with the opin- 

 ions gleaned from the work of other stations. For 

 this reas'ju itseeni'^ unnecessary to risk sprajing dur- 

 ing the blossuming period 



The danger.-, of spraying during the blossoming pe- 

 riod lie in the po-sibility ■ f injuring the bees and also 

 the tender essential organs of the flowers Observa- 

 tions by the writer upon tree- spraj'td while in bloom 

 failed to deteimine just what injury may have been 

 done to liees. and did not reveal any indic.ition of in- 

 jury to the flowers It is also fair to state that I have 

 read no account whic^i has settled this question of just 

 how much injury mwy be done in this way. Spraying 

 during the blo.ssoming perio'l is certainly not at all a 

 new idea, for it has been tried by many, is still advo- 

 cated by a few, and seems to be advised against by 

 the majority. J. C. Whitten. 



Horiiiulturist, Exp. Station, Columbia, Mo. 



I am awar that a sentiment exists thnt spraying 

 fruit-trees while in bloom is more beiitfi ial than 

 spraying at other times, but I do not think there is 

 any gr 'und whatever for such belief. There does not 

 appear to be any reason why spraying a few days 

 earlier or a few days later would not answer just as 

 well, and there is good reason why the trees should 

 not be sprayed while in bloom. I regard such advice 

 as Mr Stahl has g.ven as very harmful. We can not 

 dispense with the .services of the bees in fruit culture ; 

 besides, we have no right to kill the bees, especially 

 as no good will come of it. I have practiced spraying 

 fruit trees for a number of j-ears, and am satisfied 

 that all the cood results which the advocates of spray- 

 ing in time of bloom claim will be secured by spray- 

 ing just before or just after. I am quite sure that the 

 advice which you will get from ' ther experiment sta- 

 tions will be precisely the same, for it has been dem- 

 onstrated that spraying when trees are in bloom is 

 very harmful to the bees, and it has also been demon- 

 strated that we can secure good results by spraying at 

 some other time. W. J. Green, 



Horticulturist, Exp. Sta., Wooster, Ohio. 



It is probably true that some varieties of fruit are 

 sufficiently pollinatid without the aid of bees, but the 

 evidence- of the n^ces-ity for their cooperation in 

 many kinds of fruit-growing are, to my mind, unim- 

 peachable. The entomologist of this station. Prof. H. 

 Gainian. has himself ob-erved a bee sucking up the 

 poi'-onous fluid that had been spraved upon a trt e. 



In vif w of the f;(ct that most fruits can be effectual- 

 ly and apparently just a- well protected from insect 

 and fungous i e>ls h\ spraying at other timfs than the 

 blo.s.soming period, it would seem to be the part of 

 wisdom to safeguard .so far as possible the lives of 

 these industrious allies of the farmer and fruit-grow- 

 er. C W. Mathews, 



Horticulturist, Ky. Exp. Sta., Lexington, Ky. 



The very fact that all the other experiment 

 stations have spoken in the same emphatic 

 way ought to settle the matter ; but it appears 

 that the station at Geneva, N. Y., proposed to 

 go to the bottom of the matter, and we shall 

 wait with pleasure the results of their experi- 

 ments. 



The Fanner's Guide is to be commended 

 for the firm stand it has taken for truth and 

 for the bees, and such action comes with all 

 the m')re force because it is not a bee paper. 

 Bee-keepers should write the editor expressing 

 t'leir hearty approbation and inclosing an or- 

 der for subscription. A good paper like the 

 Guide should receive encouragement. 



SPRAYING DURING FRUIT-BLOOM. 



In the Country Gentleman for June 7, page 

 470, appears the following from the New York 

 State Entom ^logist, E. P. Felt, entitled " Bees 

 and Spraying — a Warning." 



The Albany ^-I ;_§•«,? of May 22 contained a brief ac- 

 count to the effect that many honey-bees had bt en 

 killed at Medusa, N. Y., bj' visiting trees sprayed 

 while in full bloom with an arsenical poison. It was 

 stated that one bee-keeper lost his entire apiary of lOO 

 hives, valued at $500. The report was investigated, 

 with the following results: 



Several men sprayed their fruit-trees on Friday and 

 Saturday, May IS and 19 the former being a bright 

 day. Trouble was fir.-'t observed on the 20ih Of the 

 condition of his apiary on that day, Mr. W. P. Makely 

 writes : 



"The sight that met my eyes was enough to para- 

 lyze any bee-ma i. In front of each hive lay the full 

 working force of the bees. Some in clusters apparent- 

 ly dormant, and others wiggling about as if in great 

 agony. With the appearance of the sun there was a 

 general movement among the bees in nn effort to get 

 as far away from the hive as possible. Those that had 

 the strength would trj' to fly, but could only succeed 

 in making three or four feet before they would drop 

 to the ground. The next day, Monday, th 21st, Ii pen- 

 ed a few hives and found all the workers gone, and a 

 large amount of brood and but few youugbees left. I 

 think that most of the colonies will pull through, but 

 our honey crop is gone and we can expect no swarm." 



Mr Makely estimates that practically all the field- 

 workers were lost. Mr. Edwin S yder claims to have 

 lost between 80 and 95 per cent of his workers in his 

 90 to 100 colonies. Mr. Aaron Jennings has from 2001 

 to 225 colonies, and the first serious consequetices were 

 observed on the 23d, when in the vicinitv of more than 

 half his hives he could scoop up handfuls of dead or 

 dying bees. Orchards were sprayed on the 21st and 

 22d l'/4 miles north and the .same distance northwest 

 of this man's place. A larg^ quantity of dead bees 

 have been received at my office, and they will be an- 

 alyzed for the presence of a'senic. The destruction 

 was fearful, and there is ev^-ry reason to think that it 

 was due to pois' n thrown upon trees in blossom. 

 There is at present a law pr 'hibiting the spraying of 

 trees while in bloom : and this drplorable experience 

 certainly indicates the %visdom of its remaining ou 

 our books and being enforced to the letter. There is a 

 strong .sentiment in some sections of the State in favor 

 of spraving trees while in bloom, but practically every 

 economic entomologist contends that all insects can 

 be controlled just as effectually by spraying just be- 

 fore or after bio -ming, and in many cases the result is 

 much better. It has been demonstrated beyond all 

 question bv experimental methods that honey-bees 

 can be poisoned by visiting sprayed blossoms ; but 

 this is the fir.st ca.se known to me where widespread 

 destruction has resulted under strictly natural condi- 

 tions, most probably as a result of spraving. This 

 case will be closely watched. E P. Felt, 



N. Y. State Entomologist. 



If there ever was a provoking case this ap- 

 pears to be the one ; and it seems to me the 

 New York State Association of Bee-keepers' 

 S )cieties should take a hand in it. Those who 

 have been guilty of violating the law should 

 be taught a lesson. If the bee-keepers of 

 New York allow this to pass there will be oth- 

 er violations of a like nature ; and the only 

 thing is to make an example of these men to 

 prevent others from doing likewise next spring. 



HO FOR THE NEXT CONVENTION OF THE 

 NATIONAL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION! 



The following announcement, just received 

 from the Secretary, will be self explanatory : 



Mr. Editor: — Please allow me to remind your read- 

 ers that the next convention of the National Bee- 

 keepers' Association will be held in Chicago, 111., dur- 

 ing the G. A. R. encampment in the last week in 

 August next, the first session to be held on Tuesday 

 evening, the 28th, and three sessions on Wednesday 

 and three on Thursday, the 29th and 30th. 



