August, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



27 



transform to the pupa stage and they are en- 

 tirely unprotected. In this condition large 

 numbers may be destroyed by spraying the 

 base of the trees, and the ground under the 

 trees with a contact insecticide such as ker- 

 osene emulsion or even hot water. It is 

 important that this work be done as soon as 

 the pupae are noticed, for they remain in this 

 condition for only about ten days before 

 turning into the beetle. 



The beetles lay eggs for a second genera- 

 tion, which seldom does any harm, however, 

 in the Northern States. 



The beetles winter in attics of houses, sheds, 

 hollow trees, and even under board side- 

 walks from which they emerge during the 

 warm days of early spring (late April or 

 early May). 



As soon as leaves begin to unfold the beetles 

 commence to eat them, making holes which 

 resemble shot holes. 



Late in May or early in June the beetles 

 commence laying the eggs which are de- 



The elm-leaf beetle eats holes in the leaves as they 

 are unfolding in spring 



posited in small clusters on the under sides of 

 the leaves. 



The egg laying continues for about four 

 weeks in which time the beetle may lay 500 

 or 600 eggs. The eggs hatch in about a week 



^:s^2*8^ 



After feeding on the leaves all summer, the full 

 grown grubs crawl down the trunk nearly to the 

 ground, where they can be found and sprayed in 

 August 



and the young larvae or grubs feed on the 

 under sides of the leaves skeletonizing them. 

 This is the time when spraying with poisons 

 such as arsenate of lead or Paris green will 

 be very effective. Arsenate of lead is the 

 best poison to use; spray thoroughly, com- 

 mencing about June 1st or as soon as the 

 eggs begin to hatch, being sure to get it on 

 the under side of the leaf for this is where 

 the grubs work. Use three to five pounds 

 of arsenate of lead to fifty gallons of water. 



CONTACT INSECTICIDE TO VSE NOW 



To make kerosene emulsion dissolve one- 

 half pound of soap in one gallon of boiling 

 water, then add two gallons of kerosene (first 

 removing the vessel away from the fire) and 



thoroughly mix them. The best way to mix 

 is with a small spray pump — pumping the 

 liquid through the pump back into the vessel. 

 Dilute with water ten or twelve times before 

 using. For spraying in small quantities the 

 emulsion may be bought. 

 New York. Phineas Nolte. 



Closing the Summer Season 



THE flow of white honey ends about the 

 first of August. It is undesirable 

 to have the partly finished sections of light 

 honey completed with the amber-colored 

 honey which is made from the fall flowers 

 such as asters, goldenrod, sticktights (Bidens), 

 etc., and therefore supers must be overhauled 

 as the flow ceases. 



Supers containing honey in two colors 

 are uninviting in appearance and do not sell 

 readily. AH sections three-quarters or more 

 filled are put away to be crated and sold. 

 Those sections that have but little honey in 

 them are put into other supers to be after- 

 ward stacked up outdoors so the bees can 

 remove the honey. 



The supers or sections which are to be 

 emptied by the bees, must be stacked on an 

 ordinary bottom board and the entrance 

 so contracted that only one or two bees can 

 "pass at a time. This is important; for if a 

 large entrance is left, the bees will become 

 excited by having access to so much honey 

 at one time and will tear up the comb. This 

 comb is very valuable, for in it is to be stored 

 the fall honey. If there is no fall honey 

 made these comb-filled sections can be used 

 as "baits" the next season. 



Of course, a cover must be put on the 

 stack of supers. It is also best to have them 

 several rods away from the apiary. This 

 is because it is less likely to start the bees 

 robbing, which they are prone to do at this 

 time of the year. 



The sections that are to be emptied by 

 the bees are such that have only a few cells 

 full to a few ounces of honey in them. Sec- 

 tions that, as to filling, come between this 

 class and those three-fourths, or more, filled, 

 can be emptied with a honey extractor. 

 This is considerable work, I admit, for it is 

 a slow job to extract honey from sections on 

 account of their comparatively small size. 

 However, the honey being light colored 

 will sell readily. If it is fed back the bees 

 consume most of it. 



Those who have not an extractor, yet prefer 

 not to feed back the honey of these partly 



filled combs, cannot do anything else but 

 put them back into the hives to be filled with 

 darker colored honey. As I have already 

 said, such mixed honey does not sell as well 

 in the markets of large cities as it would 

 if the two kinds of honey were separate. 

 Here in the home markets the merchants pay 

 the same price whether the sections are filled 

 with fancy white honey or have the appear- 

 ance of a paint color card. 



As the nights become quite cool during 

 the autumn nectar flow, comb building pro- 

 ceeds slowly, for it requires a temperature 

 of near ioo° F. for comb building. It is for 

 this reason that I prefer to save as many sec- 

 tions as possible filled with comb. When 

 the bees have only to store the honey and 

 seal it, they often make a nice surplus from 

 the autumn nectar flow, while if they had 

 to build the comb as well as fill it they can 

 make only a small amount. 



For the reason that comb building proceeds 

 slowly at this time of the year, quite a few 

 bee-keepers prefer to put on ordinary hive 

 bodies with extracting frames and secure 

 the fall honey in the extracted form. This 

 is desirable also from the standpoint that 

 amber and dark-colored honey sells more 

 readily in the extracted (liquid) form than in 

 comb. An unfounded prejudice exists against 

 amber and dark-colored honey as a spread 

 for bread. If it were known that this kind 

 of honey is just as wholesome and desirable 

 as that which is light, it would sell as readily 

 in the comb as in the extracted form. In 

 this latter form it is used by bakerv firms for 

 preparing some of their choicest products. 



Whether the bees are run for comb or 

 extracted honey during the autumn nectar 

 flow, the surplus apartments should be 

 removed a week or two before it is expected 

 the flow will cease. This is to compel the 

 bees to store in the brood-chamber for winter. 



Wisconsin. F. A. Strohschein. 



It is more profitable to extract the honey from 

 poorly filled sections and to use the combs for the 

 fall flow of honey than to attempt to market them 



