POISONING BEES 291 
LAWS PROTECTING THE BEE-KEEPER’S PROPERTY 
As has already been stated, the bee-keeper is-as fully pro- 
tected in the property rights in bees as in any other domestic 
animals. Should anyone steal a colony of bees he could be prose- 
cuted for larceny in probably any State. 
Spraying While Trees are in Bloom.—There is a greater 
danger to the bees, however, than ordinary theft. It is a com- 
mon practice to spray fruit trees with poisonous liquids to con- 
trol insect pests. The fruit growers are not always sutiiciently 
careful as to the time when these sprays are applied and the 
wholesale destruction of bees sometimes results from the appli- 
cation of sprays while the trees are in bloom. A number of 
States have passed laws prohibiting the spraying of fruit trees 
while in bloom, for the sole purpose of protecting the bee-keeper. 
The law on this subject enacted by the State of New York 
is representative of the laws in force in the various States. It 
is worded as follows: 
Any person who shall spray with, or apply in any way, poison or any 
poisonous substance, to fruit trees while the same are in blossom, is guilty 
of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor 
more than fifty dollars; provided, however, that nothing in this section 
shall prevent the directors of the experiment stations at Ithaca and Geneva 
from conducting experiments in the application of poison and spraying 
mixtures to fruit trees while in blossom. 
A somewhat similar law is in force in Canada. In States 
where such laws have not been passed there is bitter complaint 
on the part of the bee-keepers that their bees are destroyed or 
they are compelled to move their apiaries. 
Poisoning Bees.—It sometimes happens that malicious per- 
sons will put out poisoned honey or syrup for the purpose of 
destroying the bees. It hardly need be said that such an act 
does not differ materially from a legal standpoint from poisoning 
any other domestic animals. A few States have passed specific 
statutes providing fine and imprisonment for the malicious 
poisoning of bees. 
