AUGUST 15. 1914 



641 



A NEW DANGER FROM SPRAYING 



Bees Poisoned by Working on Red 



Hover 

 the S 



are Cov- 



BY JAMES G. BROWN 



I have noticed in many numbers of 

 Gleanings, articles on spray poison, and 

 feel that I should be remiss in my duty as a 

 member of the beekeeping fraternity if I 

 failed to call your attention to a condition 

 that we of the orchard section of western 

 Colorado are facing along this line. 



Until recent years clean cultivation was 

 the rule in all orchards here; but the soil 

 began shoAving signs of exhaustion, and the 

 fruit-men began sowing legumes to rebuild 

 the soil. In the Montrose section, practical- 

 ly all orchards are sown to red clover, and 

 this is becoming an important honey-plant, 

 as it comes between fruit-bloom and alfal- 

 fa, and continues furnishing nectar until 

 long after the sweet clover has bloomed out. 

 This year, as never before, the bees have 

 been working the clover; and as it is cov- 

 ered with spray poison falling from the 

 trees the bees are killed by the tens of thou- 

 sands. 



On June 2 I noticed a few bees crawling 

 from the entrances and running from the 

 hives for a few feet and then die " on foot." 

 Each morning thereafter the number became 

 greater until it was impossible to walk down 

 through the groups of hives without walk- 

 ing on bees. The only plant in my locality 

 furnishing nectar was red clover. I visited 

 some orchards near by and discovered the 

 cause of my trouble. The clover was gray 

 from its coat of arsenate of lead, and the 

 bees were working all the near orchards so 

 sprayed. 



I have never seen bees so strong in May 

 as was this apiary. At the beginning of 

 June it contained 123 colonies, most of them 



two-stoi-y ten-framed hives. June 17 there 

 were 98. July 2 there were 95 colonies or 

 nuclei occupying but two or three frames 

 in one story. The bees died so rapidly that 

 the cluster could not cover a fourth of the 

 brood unhatehed, and the end is not yet. 



I called attention to the matter, and other 

 beekeepers having outyards within reach of 

 the orchards found the same conditions pre- 

 vailing. Mr. D. J. Harris lost 25 out of 

 one yard of 60. Mr. J. J. Corbut lost 

 heavily, and moved out of this district. Mr. 

 J. C. Mathews moved one yard of 130 colo- 

 nies to prevent further decimation ; and 

 to-day, July 6, 0. C. Skinner and Wm. 

 Corbut, both extensive beekeepers, are pre- 

 paring to move. 



While we have a law regulating the 

 spraying of fruit-trees while in bloom, it 

 does not cover our case here. 



Our local association has held two meet- 

 ings to consider what could be done; and 

 while a remedy could be found in the or- 

 chardist cutting his clover before he spray- 

 ed, the matter is entirely optional with him, 

 and the associaiion has advised all its mem- 

 bers to move out of the fruit section, and 

 they are going. There will be no bees to 

 speak of in reach of the orchards next 

 bloom-time. 



Many of the orchard men, realizing the 

 real worth of the bees to the orchard, have 

 done their utmost to prevent the bees from 

 going away ; but there is always the indif- 

 ferent fellow, and he will be in supreme 

 command until our next legislature meets. 



Montrose, Colo. 



BEES DO NOT SPREAD PEAR -BLIGHT 



BY L. v. DIX 



This question of bees spreading blight 

 comes up quite often, and I am surprised 

 at the theories advanced as to the cause of 

 its spread. I have had a life-long experi- 

 ence in the growing of pears, and during 

 the last twenty years I have been growing 

 them in a commercial way. This present 

 season confirms me more thoroughly than 

 ever of the great mistake that has been 

 made by some who claim to be expert horti- 

 culturists as to the cause and spread of 

 pear-blight. 



In 1912 my crop of pears sold amounted 

 to 6000 bushels. No blight appeared until 

 after the fruit was as large as hickory-nuts, 

 and then it did no damage, for it helped to 

 thin the fruit to some extent, which is need- 

 ed. At this date, April 30, I have a better 

 prospect for a crop of pears than in 1912. 

 The fruit is all set, no signs of blight yet, 

 but I expect it to appear to a gi-eater or less 

 extent within the next twenty days. 



Blight does not live over winter in so- 

 called bUght-pockets, but is caused each sea- 



