1919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



59 



salt to make the water taste just 

 about as salty as one would like 

 gravy. I placed some floats on this 

 water and a comb of honey laid on 

 the floats and in a short time thou- 

 sands of bees were carrying the salted 

 water. This was kept up by them all 

 season. One of my neighbors came 

 in the yard with an extra queen that 

 he had just had sent in from the 

 south. I said "give her to me ; I will 

 put her into this colony as an experi- 

 ment." This colony had a bad case 

 but was not weak yet. It proved to 

 be the end of the disease in that col- 

 ony, and it built up rapidly and be- 

 gan to store above. This induced me 

 to send south for 25 more, and all 

 were used where disease was found, 

 or where black or hybrid stock was 

 present. In all cases but one the 

 cure was perfected. These queens 

 were introduced as directed on cages. 

 In other cases cells from what ap- 

 peared to be immune Italian stock 

 were given with equal results. I be- 

 lieve that the salted water was of it- 

 self a great benefit, as very much less 

 brood appeared to be dead, and 

 more time was afforded to get in 

 stock that was immune. One thing I 

 found for sure was, that it is not 

 good policy to tolerate any weak 

 colonies of any stock, as such will be 

 affected. I believe it possible that 

 where bees have been allowed to be- 

 come inbred for years that a low 

 state of vitality exists, and that such 

 colonies are good ground for Euro- 

 pean foulbrood. That is just the way 

 it looked in my yard; and that black 

 bees must not be tolerated at all, if 

 one wishes to stay in the business of 

 raising honey. I know that it skipped 

 all around good Italian stocks and 

 thrived upon black and hybrids. 



To find the affected colonies would 

 be quite a big job if every hive is to 

 be opened. Just walk down each 

 row and notice very carefully the 

 colonies losing energy, with less 

 working force. That is the way I 

 did it. It was a rare case that I 

 missed my patient when a batch of 

 queens would come as a lot of ripe 

 cells were ready. 



I am very happy to be able to say 

 that I have in my yard 250 of the best 

 stocks of bees that I have ever 

 owned, and I never had a stronger 

 lot of bees, and that when spring 

 comes I will supply plenty of salt 

 and proceed as above. When I look 

 the situation over I am reminded of 

 what Alexander said, "A blessing in 

 disguise." 



Delmar, Iowa. 



Shall We Prohibit Spraying While 

 Trees Are in Bloom? 



SEVERAL letters have come to my 

 desk of late which have to do 

 with the poisoning of bees from 

 the spraying of fruit trees while in 

 bloom. In New Mexico it seems that 

 a bill is pending in the legislature 

 which provides a penalty for the ap- 

 plication of spray poisons to the fruit 

 trees before 90 per cent of the blos- 

 soms have fallen. A few States have 

 passed similar laws and several oth- 



Jay Smith's introducing cage as used 



ers, after considering such measures, 

 have refused to enact them. 



At one time I used my influence for 

 the passage of such a bill, in Iowa, al- 

 though I must confess that I was not 

 enthusiastically in favor of it. Since 

 that time I have investigated the mat- 

 ter somewhat and now doubt whether 

 such laws are desirable. Here in 

 America we have come to look upon 

 "laws" as the cure for every ill. Every 

 day we hear somebody say that there 

 should be a law passed prohibiting 

 this or that. Perhaps we will learn 

 in time that the mere passage of a 

 law does not always remedy our trou- 

 bles. 



In the case of spraying, so many 

 beekeepers report the loss of bees 

 from the spraying of fruit trees while 

 in bloom, that there must be some 

 cause for complaint. However, it 

 seems to me, after looking into the 

 thing, that a law is not the proper 

 remedy. In the first place, the pas- 

 sage of such a law is resented by the 

 fruit growers as being aimed espe- 

 cially at them. Instead of developing 

 harmonious action, it has the oppo- 

 site effect. The interests of the fruit 

 grower and of the beekeeper are mu- 

 tual. It is recognized that bees are 

 necessary to insure proper pollina- 

 tion of fruit blossoms. It is also 

 taught by most entomologists and 

 horticulturists that the best time to 

 spray is after the petals have fallen. 

 Not only may the bees be poisoned, 

 but the fertilization of the blossoms 

 may be retarded or to some extent 

 prevented by spraying before that 

 time. 



This being the case, what we need 

 is not a law punishing the man who 

 reduces his own crop and kills his 

 neighbor's bees, by improper spray- 

 ing, but an educational campaign to 

 give proper instruction in the appli- 

 cation of the poison. 



The fruit growers are as anxious to 

 teach the mass of small orchardists 

 to use spraying materials, as the bee- 

 keepers are to induce every beeman 

 to treat foulbrood. The enactment 

 of a law prohibiting spraying at any 

 time may easily discourage its being 



hipping cage. 



done at all. In this case the fruit 

 business has been injured. 



There are few fruit growers pro- 

 gressive enough to spray their fruit 

 trees, who will be purposely disposed 

 to injure the bees on which they de- 

 pend as an agency m the tertilization 

 of their fruit. Instead of trying to 

 force through a law against spraying 

 while the trees are in bloom, the bee- 

 men and fruit growers should meet 

 and agree upon a campaign of educa- 

 tion in districts where spraying is im- 

 properly done. Such a campaign will 

 result in great benefit to both the 

 fruit grower and the beekeeper and 

 should leave both with the best of 

 feelings toward the other. 



When, as sometimes happens, the 

 legislative committees ask for defi- 

 nite proof of the injury to bees from 

 this cause, the beekeepers find it dif- 

 ficult to prove their case. Our senior 

 editor once served as a member of 

 an Illinois delegation to appear in 

 behalf of such a measure. The chair- 

 man of the legislative committee was 

 an extensive crchardict who seemed 

 disposed to be very fair in the mat- 

 ter. He asked for proof of injury to 

 the beekeeper, and when an attempt 

 was made to furnish specific cases 

 which could be laid to this cause, the 

 beekeepers were unable to find them. 

 We are a little in the dark as to just 

 how much the bees are injured from 

 this cause, and here is a glace where 

 our experiment stations can render 

 some real service to both fruit grow- 

 ers and beekeepers by making exten- 

 sive and careful tests as to the extent 

 of injury, time when bees are poi- 

 soned, and also in searching for a 

 remedy. Judge Taylor, of Yakima. 

 Wash., suggests that since the arsen- 

 ate of lead is said to be sweet, the 

 bees may be attracted to it at times 

 when the trees are not in bloom. He 

 also suggests the possibility of ad- 

 ding to the spray some repellent 

 which is obnoxious to the bees and 

 thus prevent them from taking it at 

 any time. 



From Washington comes the report 

 that the greatest loss is not at the 

 time when the trees are in full bloom, 



