ee ies 
BEE CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS 
James I. Hambleton, in Charge 
George H. Rea, who was formerly a special field agent of the Eee Cul— 
sure Laboratory, recently stopped at the laboratory on his way to New Bern, 
N. C., where he intends to engage on an extensive scale in queen rearing 
and the production of package colonies of bees. 
Prof. L. M. Bertholf, of Western Maryland College, Westminster, who 
has been engaged in research at the Bee Culture Laboratory for several re- 
cent summers, stopped at the laboratory on February 23 to complete some 
work relating to a number of manuscripts which he is preparing for publi- 
cation. While in Washington Professor Bertholf also consulted with mem— 
bers of the scientific staff of the Bureau of Standards about his work 
dealing with the response of honeybees to light of various wave lengths, 
which he expects to resume at the Bee Culture Laboratory in the coming 
summer. 
Jas. I. Hambleton attended the meeting of the Southern States Beekeep— 
ing Conference held at Baton Rouge, La., February 7, 8, and 9, where he 
discussed the package~bee and queen-rearing industry. The meetings were 
held in Agricultural Hall of the University of Louisiana, where the South— 
ern States Bee Culture Field Station of the bureau is located. It was one 
of the best meetings ever held by the Southern Conference, and beekeeping 
representatives from most of the Southern States, as well as from a few of 
the Northern States, were in attendance. One of the principal aims of the 
Conference was to bring about, if possible, the standardization of packages 
of bees. In order to expedite the establishment of standards the confer— 
ence voted unanimously to leave the matter entirely in the hands of Doctor 
Whitcomb and Doctor Oertel, of the Southern States Bee Culture Field Sta— 
tion, who, after consulting with shippers and buyers of packages of bees, 
are to draw up specifications which will be submitted to the trade for ap— 
proval before being recommended as standard. 
Mr. Hambleton also visited the bureau's Gulf Coast Laboratory, at New 
Orleans, La., and the Texas Apicultural Laboratory, located about 15 miles 
from San Antonio, where he discussed with H. B. Parks, the director of the 
laboratory, various matters pertaining to beekeeping in the South, particu-— 
larly matters relating to honey—plant surveys. Mr. Parks has made a very . 
comprehensive study of the honey flora of Texas, and is considered the out— 
standing authority on honey plants in the Southern States. 
On the same trip Mr. Hambleton stopped at the Intermountain Bee Cul-— 
ture Field Station, at Laramie, Wyo., and discussed the experimental work 
to be done there for the coming season. He spent a day at the Colorado: 
State Agricultural College, at Fort Collins, where problems in beekeeping 
of the Intermountain States were discussed with Professor Richmond. The 
Intermountain Bee Culture Laboratory has an experimental apiary located 
just outside of Fort Collins, which was visited en route. 
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