472 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



JUNE, 1917 



H EADS OF GRAINTI ]^^ 



DIFFERENT FIELDS 



a law in New York State prohibiting the 

 spraying of fruit-trees in blossom, and we 

 have consistently advised delaying poison 

 applications for the codling moth until the 

 bloom has fallen, not only on account of 

 the law but because it is for the interests of 

 all to observe this precaution. 



The question raised by Mr. Tanton in the 

 May issue, page 335, as to the advisability 

 of spraying later must be answered in the 

 negative. It is true that the codling moth 

 appears after the spray has been applied, 

 and the "worm" itself even later. Yet 

 careful experiments show that arsenical 

 sprays applied about three weeks after 

 blooming are only, other conditions being 

 equal, about % or 1/3 as effective in elim- 

 inating wormy fruit. In other words, while 

 later sprays assist, they can not make up for 

 negligence earlier in the season. The mere 

 fact that early spraying with a poison will 

 greatly reduce the percentage of wormy ap- 

 ples means that the arsenical spray must re- 

 main in the calyx cup and there destroy a 

 considerable percentage of the caterpillars 

 as they attempt to enter the fruit. For ex- 

 ample, in experiments conducted by the 

 writer in 1911, plots sprayed once, twice, and 

 three times bore only 1.93, 1.5, and .86 per 

 cent respectively of wormy apples, while a 

 plot sprayed only once, and about three 

 weeks after blossoming, the time the second 

 application was made, bore 22.2 per cent 

 wormy apples, while the unsprayed trees had 

 32.79 per cent wormy fruit. These returns 

 were practically duplicated in another or- 

 chard, and in both instances the work was 

 done with the same outfit, by the same men, 

 and under practically identical conditions. 

 The one conclusion to be drawn is that a 

 spraying just after the blossoms drop is by 

 far the most effective for the control of the 

 codling moth. E. P. Felt, 



State Entomologist of New York. 



A Westerner Comes I have read with 

 Back with Some mingled feelings of 



Pretty Hot Shot anger and disgust the 



article by A. W. 

 Smith (and surprise that it should have had 

 a place in Gleanings). I refer to the part 

 about western honey. 



First, as to marketing early. Do the 

 bottlers of Airline honey buy and dispose 

 of western first, or do they let the price at 

 which they can buy have more influence 

 than locality or quality? I know of one 

 large eastern dealer who had the nerve to 

 offer $1.50 per case (24 sections) for a car 

 of fancy and No. 1 western comb that 

 had no granulation, and showed none when 

 sold in the later part of January. 



I have no doubt there are western honey- 

 producers selling an inferior honey, and may 

 be there are some who deserve the reputation 



that Mr. Smith 's grandfather earned. But 

 I know there are still some worthy descend- 

 ants of that old man's class in the East, as 

 I have seen eastern comb honey offered and 

 sold in nice cartons that was yellow, granu- 

 lated, and in dirty unscraped sections, and 

 put out by an innocent (?) eastern dealer. 

 A western "brick" would be a credit to 

 such as that. Michigan is some "beet" 

 state; many of them have moved west; and 

 if they continue in the beet industry for 

 awhile we of the West who have spent our 

 lives here, and who are careful not to ship 

 a case of comb honey east that would not be 

 full value for money received, have no de- 

 sire to accept responsibility for them. 



In conclusion I might refer to that famous 

 house of glass, and ask our eastern brothers 

 not to be too careless with their "bricks," 

 but I refrain. But I should like to suggest 

 to the innocent eastern buyer that, if he 

 will deal with any of the several western 

 associations they can rest assured they will 

 receive as good comb honey as they can get 

 anywhere on earth — or better — and I want 

 to add, in justice to the many honest western 

 producers, that hundreds of cars of western 

 alfalfa comb are sold to innocent eastern 

 consumers as clover honey. 



Berthoud, Col. A. C. VanGalder. 



How About these Dr. C. C. Miller:— On 



Plans for Comb Honey p. 404 to 407 of the 

 Instead of Extracted? May 15th Gleanings 

 for last year is a 

 ■resume of four prominent beekeepers' meth- 

 ods of swarm prevention, every one of 

 whom, tho, I suppose is committed to ex- 

 tracted honey. Would not their ways, to 

 one of which Mr. Morley Pettit very much 

 agrees, do for comb honey? 



At times a colony according to these 

 methods has at least three stories — i. e., from 

 bottom up: Brood-chamber proper, exclud- 

 er, honey-super, and on the latter a super 

 containing brood, which had been directly 

 over the bottom super, before the honey 

 super was put on. 



What would probably be the result if, 

 instead of the super for honey to be extract- 

 ed, one would put one or two section-supers, 

 especially if at least one of the latter had 

 either baits half and half, or all baits — baits 

 cleaned out by the bees the year before? 



Ulster, Pa. C. Keynders. 



Dr. Miller replies: 



Something depends on just what is in that 

 deep super on top, and also upon the flow. 

 In any case, I understand that drawn combs 

 are in the top super. If the section-supers 

 contain all baits, they are likely to be filled 

 as soon as the drawn combs above them, but 

 no sooner than they would be if no drawn 

 combs were above. If the section - supers 

 contain part baits and part foundation, with 



