128 



JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 



[Vol. 8 



the office, upon receipt of his request. The detached portion of the 

 ''clean up ' order, which is left with the beekeeper, he should mail 

 to the office upon completion of his work. It bears a few practical 

 suggestions concerning disease. 



Interstate Shipments. — ^One of the particularly advantageous 

 features is the control of interstate shipments. The legal provisions 

 are that no colonies upon combs may be shipped into the state from a 

 state where there is an inspector unless their healthfulness is certified 

 by a state apiary inspector. This limits an objectionable policy, 

 which has been termed the dumping" of disease into Massachusetts. 

 From states where there are no apiary inspectors, stock is received with- 

 out certificate, but the recipient is expected to notify the inspector 

 of apiaries of its arrival, thus enabling a subsequent inspection of the 

 stock. Only one addition would be recommended, namely that 

 transportation companies be obhged to notify the inspector of the 

 arrival of all stock from without the State. It has been said that 

 in so legislating, Massachusetts has placed an embargo upon bees, 

 but this cannot justly be maintained because legitimate shipments 

 are provided for. In watching the practicability of this feature of 

 the law, it has been noticed that beekeepers have been less imposed 

 upon than perhaps they would have been otherwise. No complaint, 

 but rather approval is made by the beekeepers of the state. There is 

 less likelihood, moreover, that the conscientious work of inspectors 

 may be upset through some careless shipment of diseased stock. 



Quarantine System. — ^Formerly it was not customary for states to 

 quarantine apiaries found to be infected. This is now more general 

 ■and need not be dwelt upon, except to say that it is an indispensable 

 feature of an inspection law. It protects not only the inspector, who, 

 by an unscrupulous beekeeper might be misled or deceived, but it also 

 protects the well-meaning beekeeper and limits the person of ill-intent. 

 It also holds infectious materials on the premises where found until 

 they have been properly and satisfactorily disposed of. Moreover, 

 it is not without its moral advantage in stimulating beekeepers to watch 

 out for the occurrence of disease, which, when they are conversant, 

 they may treat before the inspector arrives, thereby obviating quaran- 

 , tine. Morally, too, it stimulates prompt treatment of a quarantined 

 apiary. 



Forms. — Summarily, there are five forms used by the inspectors 

 (the record card, which is good for a period of eight or ten years; the 

 quarantine blank and the release blank; the ''clean up" report used in 

 unsanitary apiaries; and the report used in apiaries in which there is 

 found infection). The writer will gladly send specimens of these 

 forms to inquirers. 



