368 
Beekeeping 
codling moth and is not advised by entomologists and since 
it is injurious to bees, several States, at the instigation of 
the beekeepers, have enacted laws prohibiting such spraying. 
However, it is difficult to enforce such a law and, through 
ignorance, carelessness or neglect, serious damage is done to 
beekeepers at times. It may also be added that spraying 
in full bloom not only is unnecessary and detrimental to 
bees but it directly injures the fruit blossoms. 1 It is there¬ 
fore evident that in the light of our present knowledge, 
spraying fruit trees while in full bloom is unwarranted and 
unwise. 
Bees do not puncture ripe fruit. 
In discussing the relationship existing between beekeeping 
and fruit-growing, there still remains one source of misunder¬ 
standing between men engaged in these branches of agri¬ 
culture which should be mentioned. Fruit-growers often 
make the statement that honeybees puncture ripe fruit to 
suck the juices, thereby causing considerable financial loss, 
as well as hindering the picking of the fruit. This claim has 
been the cause of ill-feeling in certain localities. It has, 
however, been abundantly demonstrated that honeybees do 
not puncture the skin of any fruit. To show this, if a colony 
of bees is confined in a hive without honey and is given spec¬ 
imens of sound fruit, the bees will die of starvation without 
puncturing a single fruit. On the other hand, if an apple, 
plum or grape is punctured, even slightly, and given to bees 
in this way they will suck all the juice. If it is maintained 
that confined bees may act differently from those free to fly, 
it may be replied that no one has ever seen honeybees punc¬ 
ture fruit either by stinging or biting. Furthermore, if 
there is any nectar available, honeybees will always take 
that in preference to the juice of injured fruits. If then a 
fruit-grower sees honeybees sucking his fruit, he may be sure 
1 Cf. Beach, S. A., and Bailey, L. H„ 1900. Bui. 196, N. Y. Agric. Exp. 
Sta., Geneva. 
