B notes, 1964-1973

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EXPERIMENT STATION ENTOMOLOGY SECTION DEVOTED TO EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY

Volume 14, Number 1

ATTENTION ALL BEEKEEPERS

May 1964

Just a last minute reminder of the summer meeting of the Colorado Beekeepers' Association.

Place - Salida, Colorado

(Swimming Pool Pavilion) Date - Monday, June 29th

Time - 10:00 a.m.

Host Committee Chairman - Gene Sanders

This is a very informal meeting where the entire family is welcome. No matter whether you own a dozen colonies or several thousand, the meeting is held for your interest and benefit. Noon luncheon will be served.

HONEY BEE STOCK FROM EUROPE*

"During the past two years stock of certain races of bees has been brought into thiscountry and Canada in cooperation with several government agencies. Only eggs and larvae were imported so that there would be no danger of. introducing any undesirable bee diseases in the process. As a result of these importations, pure Caucasian, Carniolan, Anatolian ~nd Greek stock are available, but only to queen breeders. The importation and maintenance of this stock is costly and a basic fee of $50.00 is being charged. Queen breeders interested in securing stock should write: Apiculture Department, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ontario, Canada."

INSECT POPULATIONS

The following information is quoted from the Cooperative Economic Insect Report, compiled by the Insect Detection Committee at Fort Collins, Colorado:

Alfalfa (Weld county). Alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, larvae being taken from Ault south to Platteville. In no insecticidal treatment fields 12-100 per 100 sweeps. Treated fields 50-100 per 100 sweeps.

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Peaches (Mesa county). Peach tvTig borer, Anarsia .. lineatella, adults emerging. Control posted for June 1st~·

(Mesa county). Green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, remains extremely light. Lowest population level in several years.

(Mesa county). Oriental fruit moth, Grapholitha molesta, adults·have been taken in bait traps the past 30 days in numbers. Definitely ~dentified. Extensive control operations in Palisade area where heaviest populations occur. A total of 797 moths from 42 properties have been collected to t1ay 31st. None have been taken in Montrose and Delta counties. (May 28-June 4, 1964).

MARKET NEWS

The following information is quoted from "Honey Market News" published by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture:

"The new crop outlook was still considered fairly good across the country. Generally good subsoil moisture conditions prevailed. However, strong winds had depleted topsoil moisture in many areas and good rains would help to improve current flows and develop addi-cional sources. Horsemint yielded rather poorly in southeast Texas and vetch also was yielding poorly in northeast Texas. _Yellow

clover was beginning to yield in Oklahoma and parts of the Plains States.

Dandelions had yielded freely in practically all areas of the country. Tulip poplar and locust provided good gains from some colonies in the East. A good gallberry crop was reported in northern Florida but tupelo yielded poorly. Buckwheat had made good growth in southern California and could produce a good crop with a little more rain.

"There was little market activity on old crop bulk honey. Sales proved limited since offerings were light as supplies continued to diminish. It is not known yet how many large lots were unclaimed from the support program since the final day for redeeming was May 31. In Montana, good quality, white or better clover-alfalfa honey sold in a price range of 13 l/2 -14 1/2¢ per pound on old crop supplies. A

limited amount of new crop orange honey had been extracted in California with extra white offerings selling at 15 1/2¢ per pound. It was reported that export trading on the West Coast was at a virtual standstill. This was partially due to present light domestic supplies and increased offerings of Mexico and Argentina honey in EuPope.

"Sales of domestic beeswax proved extremely light with prices ·nominally ··steady at 40-42¢ per pound on a cash basis for uncleaned and unprocessed stock delivered to receiving points. The market for imported wax held steady under a slow demand in New York City. At this port, crude beeswax at dockside sold at 48 1/2¢ per pound on Af~ican stock. Mexico wax realized 53-56¢ and offerings from Chile brought

57-58¢ per pound." (Vol. XLVIII, No. 10, June 2, 1964). CBA - ABF DUES

Full membership in the Colorado Beekeepers' Association and contributing membership in the American Beekeeping Federation (this entitles the subscriber to the bi-monthly Federation newsletter): minimum dues are $6 per year, or 8¢ per colony for those with 75 or more colonies. Minimum dues for full membership in

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-3-both the CBA and ABF are $10.

Send your yearly dues to Mr. Ernest Harer, Box ~06, Center, Colorado. William T. Wilson

Entomology Section

Colorado Experiment Station Colorado State.University

APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

LIFE SCIENCE LIBRARY

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EXPERIMENT STATION ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

DEVOTED TO EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR THE COLORADO BEE INDUSTRY

Volume 14, Number 2

BEES SHIPPED TO INDIA

June 1964

On June lst, 10 three-pound packages of Italian honey bees and fifteen queens arrived in New Delhi, India, by air transportation from the United States. The following day, Larry Brown of the Peace Corps flew with the bees, Apis mellifera, to the Kulu Valley in northern India and installed them into waiting hives.

It took the bees three days travel time frqm the U.S. to India. They arrived in good condition. Three days after installation, six of the Italian queens had started laying while the workers were actively drawing out the new wax foundation.

Larry has been interested in obtaining some western honey bees and introducing them into India with the hope that they would out-produce the Indian honey bee, Apis indica. After a long period of writing and personally contacting Indian officials for permission to import the bees, he was becoming rather discouraged until he had the good fortune of meeting the Director of the Entomology Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, E. F. Knipling, who was visiting New Delhi. It was only a short time after

Dr.

Knipling arrived back in the U.S. until the bees were sent to India.

The Kulu Valley is located in the lower part of the Himalayas at an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet, surrounded by peaks up to 23,000 feet. Larry believes that the climate and plant sources will be favorable for the western species of honey bee. Possibly in a few years, these bees will help increase the much needed honey production of India.

Larry Brown is a graduate of Colorado State University and a former resident of the Denver area.

COLORADO HONEY QUEEN

The chairman of the queen corrmittee, Joe Moffett, discussed the queen contest at the CBA meeting. He gave the requirements which have been established for candi-dates. The selection of Colorado's honey queen will be made in Denver on December 14, 196L~. The queen will serve for one year within the state and then enter the American Beekeeping Federation's national honey queen contest, provided adequate funds are available. Financing of the queen program will be through donations.

If you know of a likely candidate and need additional

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COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

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-eligibility requirements, please contact Mr. J. 0. Moffett, Route #3, Box 101,

Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521.

Queen candidates are needed .•

THE PESTICIDE PROBLEM*

"The testimony (American Beekeeping Federation) presented before the Subcommit-tee on Reorganization regarding the effect of pesticides on bees was one of the best prepared and interesting presentations yet made before the Subcommittee. Out of our discussion came some important points.

"First, the problem of the non-selective nature of many of today's pesticides. The broad spectrum poison does not distinguish between harmful pests and beneficial insects such as the honeybee, wildbee and other pollinating insects. This is es-pecially serious when we take into account that pollination is required in the growth of some fifty important agricultural crops. Research into the development of more selective pesticides that will not harm pollinating insects must be expanded.

"Second, the problem of misleading advertising was raised. Pesticide ads

claiming the product to be "safe for bees" when in fact the opposite is true, should not be permitted and I expect to pursue this matter further.

"As I stated at the end of the hearing, I am personally very fond of honey, I find the variety of tastes attractive, and have always thought there is a tremendous taste treat for people who sample different types of honey. It is a fascinating food made available to us by the bee which has become a symbol for hard work and organization. We cannot allow the destruction of this beneficial insect through the careless use of pesticides."

SUCCESSFUL CBA MEETING

Thirty-six beekeepers plus wives and children attended the June bee meeting in Salida. The states of Wyoming, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Colorado were represented during the discussion period.

The following individuals were called on by CBA President, Harold Rice, to address the group: Glenn Gibson, ABF Secretary (Okla.); Bill Hantsbarger, Exten-sion Entomologist (Colo.); Erwin Glue, Dadant

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Sons (Iowa); Martin Poyner, Colo. Dept. of Agriculture (Colo.); Tom Ball, Superior Honey Co. (Colo.); H. P. Powers, Colo. Dept. of Agriculture (Colo.); DeWayne Barrett, Sioux Bee (Iowa); W. T. Wilson, Colo. State Univ. (Colo.); Charlie Miller, beekeeper (Wyo.); Joe Moffett, beekeeper (Colo.) and Roy Mills, beekeeper (Colo.). · Many other beemen contributed to the general discussion periods.

NEXT CBA MEETING

The annual winter meeting of the Colorado Beekeepers' Association will be held in Denver on December 14th and 15th at the Auditorium Hotel.

*Statement given by Senator Abraham Ribicoff. American Beekeeping Federation News Letter, page 4, May-June 1964.

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HONEY BOOTH COMMITTEE

A motion presented by Roy Mills was passed by CBA members requesting that the CBA President appoint a committee to decide on a livestock show honey booth with the authority to make the final decision.

The committee is composed of: Gerald Rose, Chairman Ernest Harer

Tom Ball

Bill Hantsbarger Joe £'1offett

MARKET NEWS

"Despite widespread shower activity across the Nation, many areas still badly need soil moisture. Continued hot dry weather had caused honey plants to mature earlier than normal or else cease yielding nectar earlier than normal. Alfalfa had yeilded favorably in Arizona and cotton was still yielding following the recent rains.· Much of the alfalfa crop had been cut for hay in Oregon. Clovers and al-falfa were still producing nectar in favorable amounts in central ~ashington. Grass-hoppers were reported to be damaging honey plants in southern Idaho. Better than 80 percent of the alfalfa crop in Montana has already been cut the first time, limiting the yields from this source. Cotton continued to bloom well in northeast Texas but yielded very little since it was so dry. Clovers and alfalfa provided a good flow in most all areas cf Iowa and North Dakota. Early crop yields had been very good in South Dakota. Producers in Michigan, Indiana and some areas of North

Dakota expected to harvest a bumper honey crop. Fairly good yields were reported in Ohio and sourwood had yielded an excellent crop in eastern Tennessee.

"Extracting of the new honey crop had gotten underway in practically all areas by the end of the period. Practically all reports indicated that the new crop supplies would be of good quality and flavor with an extremely low moisture content reported in some areas. In the midwest, good quality white or better alfalfa-clover honey appeared to be selling mostly in a 13 1/2 - 14 1/2¢ per pound price range. California Imperial Valley light amber alfalfa sold at 12¢ at shipping point. Western white sage brought 15¢ while Florida extra light amber tupelo drew 20¢." (Honey Market News, Vol. XLVIII, No. 14, August 4~ 1964)

INSECT POPULATIONS

The following information is quoted from the Cooperative Economic Insect Re-port, compiled by the Insect Detection Committee at Fort Collins, Colorado.

Alfalfa (Larimer, Weld, ~1organ, Yuma, Sedgwick and Logan counties). Heavy populations pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, reported on second and third cuttings, causing reduction in yield. Growers apprehensive in use of insecticides because of toxic residues. Ladybird beetle populations very high. Populations of aphid drop-ping. (July 23-30, 1964)

Alfalfa (Arkansas Valley). Spotted alfalfa aphid, Therioaphis maculata, in-creasing in all areas, averaging 200 per 100 sweeps. Warm, dry weather conditions favorable for further populations increase. Seedling alfalfa will be particularly

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-susceptible to this aphid, if high populations continue to develop in late August and September.

(Mesa 'county)'. Spotted alf~lfa aphid in trace numb_ers, 1 to 5 per 100 sweeps Fruita, Lorna and Mack areas.

(Arkansas Valley). Pea aphid, Acyrthos.iphon pi sum, vary erratically through the Valley from 100 to 200 sweeps in fields recently cut to 5000 to 7000 per 100 sweeps in mature stands ready to be cut. Aphid predators such as ladybird beetles, Nabids and lace wing larvae are numerous in all areas.

(Weld county). Pea aphid infestations tapering off. High populations of ladybird beetle adults and larva~ keeping aphids under control.

(Mesa county). Pea aphid population levels low in third hay crop; 50 per 100 sweeps. ·Ladybird be~tle~, . Hippodamia convergens, ·principal preda~or. Forty to 100 per 100 sweeps. ·

(Weld 0

county).· Alfalfa wee~il, Hypera postica, second generation larvae northwestern part of county • . (July 30-August 6, 1964}.

CBA - ABF DUES

Full membership in the Colorado Beekeepers' Association:and contributing membership in the American Beekeeping Federation (this entitles the subscriber to the bi-monthly Federation n~wsletter): .minimum dues are $6 per year, or 8¢ per

colony· for those· with 75 or more colonies. Minimum dues for full. membership in both the CBA and ABF are_ $10.

Send your yearly dues to Mr. Ernest Harer, Box 506, Center Colorado. William T. Wilson

Entomology Section

Colorado. Experiment Station Colorado State Unive~sity

APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER ENTOMOLOGY SECTION .

COLORAD,O EXPERIMENT srATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

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ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

Volume 14, Numbers 3-4 July-August 1964

HONEY HOUSE SANITATION

If you have questions on honey house sanitation and the new code, please write your State Apiary Inspector, Homer P. Powers, Colorado Department of Agriculture, State Services Building, 1525 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado.

All beekeepers, whether large or small in size of operation, are required to observe the new sanitation standards. These rules pertain to the extracting, processing, handling, and storing honey. They were written for the benefit and protection of the producer, packer, and consumer.

YOUR HELP NEEDED

The Bee Research Association needs the support of all beemen. Even though you may not be aware of the fact, the BRA is working every day of the week on projects to further the science and practice of beekeeping. The field of scien-tific bee research now finds the services of this organization indispensable. The BRA is in effect the parent organization of all beekeeping groups and organizations nowadays. The failure of this organization or reduction in present activities would result in a serious handicap for all apicultural research and a loss to every beekeeper.

Under the guidance and editorship of Dr. Eva Crane, the BRA is responsible for the printing of three separate publications. These are the Journal of Apicultural Research, Apicultural Abstracts, and the very famous Bee World. Even if you are not associated with bee research, you still could not help being interested in these three publications. They include general interest articles and reports on scientific endeavor either written in English or translated into English from all

) over the world.

You really cannot begin to appreciate the enormous amount of bee work that is being accomplished in many parts of the world without access to these journals. For membership in the Bee Research Association, which includes the three

publica-tions (two are printed quarterly), send a $7.00 money order or check in American dollars to Dr. Eva Crane, Woodside House, Chalfont Heights, Gerrards Cross, Bucks., England. Air mail is the most convenient way for sending overseas letters. Make your check payable to the Bee Research Association.

Don't wait - join now. beekeeping.

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-BEEKEEPING FOR THE FUIURE~ ..

A few months ago, John Root of the A. I. Root Co., held an interview with Frank Todd, Chief of the Apiculture Research Branch, U. S. Department of Agri• culture.

Mr. Root asked Frank Todd to comment on what the future possibly holds for commercial beekeeping. Mr. Todd gave the following prophetic reply,

"I

think the future of commercial beekeeping is tremendous. In the distant future we may have a division of labor between the producer of cheap bees and the user of bees. Per-haps by using new knowledge and techniques, beekeeping and the production of bees can be concentrated in a limited area with a battery of queens laying eggs, rearing the larvae on cultural media and producing bees in mass quantities which can be preserved and shipped and used where they are needed. On the other hand, the user of bees, the honey producer, may simply stock large hives with bees and handle the equipment with machinery. Perhaps a chemical mother would serve to hold the mass of bees together, and other chemical stimulants to keep them working. Of course, this is a far-fetched idea but many things in today's world were far-fetched ideas at one time."

NEtv PUBLICATION

A new and interesting leaflet is available from United States Department of Agriculture. The publication tells of the need honey bees have in hot climates, such as in Arizona, for water and shade during the summer. Instructions are provided for furnishing both water and shade by artificial means.

Obtain your copy by writing either of the following addresses: Bill Hantsbarger, Extension Entomologist, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado (for Colorado residents) or the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.

Ask for: "Shade and Water for the Honey Bee Colony" Leaflet #530, U.

s.

Dept. of Agriculture Written by C. D. Owens and S. E. McGregor

MARKET NEWS

"Producers across the country made good progress in extracting the new crop of honey. Beekeepers in some areas were already through while others were beyond the mid-point. Reports indicated yields were extremely spotty from area to area and from state to state. Indications further pointed toward a somewhat smaller crop than last year in the country as a whole. However, the total yield is still in question since some producers have not finished extracting. Also the extent of any fall honey flow remains questionable. Quality of the new crop honey appeared to be good in most areas and even better than last year at some points.

"Marketing of the new honey crop was extremely slow. Buyers in many states seemed reluctant to make offers. However, some offers were made in a few areas

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-but these were at prices averaging about 1-2¢ per pound less than last year's price. Consequently, beekeepers held on to their bulk honey in hopes of securing a price comparable to last year. Retail honey sales perked up in many states with the arrival of cooler weather. Prices also showed a slight advance on one pound containers at some points. Large lots of bulk honey, mostly good quality white or better clover-alfalfa sold in a 14-14~¢ per pound price range in the heavy producing Midwest but only a limited number of sales were reported. California light amber alfalfa brought 11·12¢ per pound, while light amber buckwheat sold at 14¢. Extra white orange honey, also from California, drew 15¢ per pound. Export trading in California was said to be extremely slow." (Vol. XLVIII, No. 17, September 17, 1964).

INSECT POPULATIONS

The following information is quoted from the Cooperative Economic Insect Report, compiled by the Insect Detection Committee at Fort Collins, Colorado. Alfalfa (Arkansas Valley). Spotted alfalfa aphid, Therioaphis maculata, continuing to increase 1000 to 6000 per 100 sweeps. New seasonal plantings of alfalfa can be seriously damaged.

(Weld, Larimer counties), Spotted alfalfa aphid in trace numbers. (Western Colorado). Third cutting of alfalfa underway with low population of pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, 200 to 300 per 100 sweeps, and low populations of spotted alfalfa aphid 1 to 20 per 100 sweeps. Lygus bugs high in numbers in seed fields where no controls have been applied (300 to 500 per 100 sweeps). General insect populations on decline with cooler weather. (Sept. 3-10,

1964).

CBA - ABF DUES

Full membership in Colorado Beekeepers' Association and contributing

membership in the American Beekeeping Federation (this entitles the subscriber to the bi-monthly Federation newsletter): minimum dues are $6 per year, or 8¢ per colony for those with 75 or more colonies. Minimum dues for full membership in both the CBA and ABF are $10.

Send your yearly dues to Mr. Ernest Harer, Box 506, Center,. Co1or~~o. William T. Wilson

Entomology Section

Colorado Experiment Station Colorado State University

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·' :

APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER ENTOMOLOGY SECTION COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

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LIFE SCIENCE LIBRARY

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Volume ·14, Numbers 5-6 September-October 1964

CBA WINTER PROGRAM

The annual winter meeting of the Colorado Beekeepers' Association will be held on December 14th and 15th in Denver at the Auditorium Hotel, 14th and Stout Street.

Make plans now to attend this meeting. Dec. 14th

10:00 AM- Invocation 10:10 AM - Welcome

Paul Swisher, Commissioner, Colorado Dept. of Agriculture 10:40 AM - President's Address

Harold Rice, President, Colorado Beekeepers' Association 11:00 AM - Apiary Inspection and Honey House Sanitation

H. P. Powers, Jr., State Apiary Inspector 11:30 AM ~ Research Report and Comments on Trip to Europe

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T. Wilson, Department of Entomology~ Co1ot'ado State University 12:00 Naon~-Committee Appointments

12:10 PM- Recess for Lunch

1:20 PM - New Pesticides Being Used on Forage Crops

W. M. Hantsbarger, Extension Entomologist, Colorado State University 1:50 PM - Bee Disease Investigations

Dr, H. Shimanuki, Research Microbiologist, Service, Laramie, Wyoming

Agric 1tural Research

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2:20 PM- Demonstration of Stapling Machines Bostitch - Denver Company

2:50 PM - Panel Discussion "Honey Extracting Efficiency"

JUN 15 1965

COLORA~O _STATE UNIVERSITY

C. E. Pratt, Moderator - Panel: Gerald Rose, John Haefeli, W. E. Limbach, Gene Sanders and others

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-2-3:50 PM - Directors Report on the Convention of the American Beekeeping Federation at Minneapolis - John Haefeli and S. J. Watkins

4:00 PM - Summary of the Past Year

Martin Poyner, Chief, Division of Plant Industry, Colorado Department of Agriculture

4:30 PM - Honey Queen Presentation

J. 0. Moffett, Chairman, Honey Queen Committee

7:00 PM- Annual Banquet - Auditorium Hotel L. E. Mills, Master of Ceremonies

Dec. 15.

Program: Film - "City of the Bees" - Pictures of the Federation Queen Program.

9:00 AM - Business Meeting - Election of officers Harold Rice, President

12:00 Noon - Adjournment

COLORADO HONEY QUEEN

Don't forget to support the Honey Queen program. This is a new undertaking by the CBA and if given adequate backing, it should produce a lot of favorable honey publicity plus the satisfaction of participating in a worthwhile project.

TREATMENT WITH GALLIMYCIN

Norman Sharp of Fishers, New York, recently notified the editor that he had experienced very gratifying results this past year in controlling European foulbrood with Gallimycin (erythromycin thiocyanate).

Mr. Sharp treated approximately 600 weak and/or EFB colonies with the anti-biotic in the early spring. He reported that they gained in strength, disease was

cleaned up, and the queens in the treated colonies looked especially good this fall. VACUUM CLEANER CLEARS HIVES OF BEES*

"Beekeepers can use the exhaust from a vacuum cleaner--instead of chemicals--to clear bees out of hive supers when harvesting honey, ARS-Wisconsin studies show.

"Agricultural engineers, B. F. Detroy, ARS and G. P. Barrington of the

Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station found the airflow method not only clears the hive super as fast as chemicals do, but it has the special advantage of working efficiently at all temperatures. Some chemicals lose efficiency as the temperature drops.·

"Detroy says most any shop-type vacuum can be used. It should have at least a 1.5 horsepower motor that delivers 65 cubic feet of air per minute, at a pressure of 2 pounds. An air compressor will do the job, but it is not as portable as a vacuum cleaner.

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"A portable generator~ vlhich many farmers already have, is needed if bee colonies are located away from electricity.

"The engineers directed the airflow with the standard crevice attachment that comes with most vacuum cleaners. The attachment, a long, flat tube with narrow opening at one end, works very well but cleans only one inner space of the super at a time. Detroy and Barrington are designing a multiple nozzle device to clean out more than one inner space of the super at a time."

BEES FOR SALE

200 colonies in eight and ten frame hive bodies. Each colony has two deep hive bodies for the brood nest, containing winter stores. Supers with combs.

Extra equipment: queen excluders, eight frame basket extractor, cappings melter, steam boiler, and large honey tank.

Possibility of some established bee yard locations with sale of the colonies. CONTACT:

Mrs. Helen Henrie Center, Colorado

STING KILL~':

A new commercial product, "Sting Kill," was tested on several volunteers by Everardo Vogel, a graduate student at Colorado State University. After inducing honey bees to sting each volunteer's arms, the treatment liquid was applied to

the sting on one arm, while the other went untreated. It was noted that the treated area had less swelling, less pain, and less irrit;ation. "Sting Kill" was evaluated as being very effective if applied immediately after being stung provided the

stinger and poison sac are quickly scraped off.

This product is available from bee equipment companies and would be useful for hobbyist beekeepers or non-beekeepers where they only experience an occasional sting and want relief from the sharp pain.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE 500 to 600 metal covers for eight frame hives. 400 wooden inner covers.

Root power, steam uncapping knife. CONTACT:

W. F. Aikin

915 W. 7th Street Loveland, Colorado

WILSON TO OHIO

W. T. Wilson, who has been in charge of apicultural research at Colorado State University since 1960, will be moving to Columbus, Ohio in mid-December. He will be

*For reasons of convenience and to simplify technical terminology, trade names may be mentioned on occasion. No endorsement of the product is intended, nor is

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-4-doing graduate research at Ohio State University under the direction of Dr. H. C. Rothenbuhler. After a two year leave of absence, the Wilson family plans to return to Co lorado.

MARKET NEWS

"The bulk honey market generally was steady, but conditions varied. In some areas, such as in Wisconsin and Oklahoma, sales and prices increased slightly while in some other areas the market was unsettled as producers and packers continued to differ over price.

"Producer price levels in northern and central California generally held steady, but there was some indication of a slight price decline. Light a"Jlber alfalfa honey

in California generally brought 11¢ per pound. In the Midwest, white clover honey realized mostly 14¢ per pound.

"Honey continued moving well at retail levels. Cooler temperatures and rain in California coupled with some price discounting contributed to an increased movement of honey to retail levels in that state. Reports of wholesale price cutting per-sisted in the Midwest but the price cutting was not considered to be widespread.

"Offerings and sales of domestic beeswax increased, with most sales quoted in a 44-46¢ per pound price range on a trading or delivered basis. There appeared to be slight price increases in some areas." (Vol. XLVIII, No.21, November 17, 1964).

CBA - ABF DUES

Full membership in the Colorado Beekeepers' Association and contributing member-ship in the American Beekeeping Federation (this entitles the subscr~ber to the bi-monthly Federation newsletter): minimum dues are $6 per year, or 8¢ per colony for those with 75 or more colonies. Minimum dues for full membership in both the CBA and ABF are $10.

Send your yearly dues to Mr. Ernest Harer, Box 506, Center, Colorado. \rlilliam T. Wilson

Entomology Section

Colorado Experiment Station Colorado State University

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APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

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PIES--SCIENCES

Volume 14 Number 7-8 January-February 1965

C.B.A. Meeting Accomplishments

Officers: New officers elected at the C.B.A. Meeting in Denver, December 14-15, 1964 are: Eugene Sanders Joe Edwards Ernest Harer Grand Junction La Junta Center President Vice President Secretary-Treasurer

C.B.A. Winter Meeting: The association meeting followed the program under the guid-ance of outgo~ng president, Harold Rice. One of the highlights of the meeting was Dr. Shimanuki's report on the use of ethylene oxide at the bee disease laboratory in Laramie, Wyoming. A full report of the use of this chemical will be published this year by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A. Another was the chronicle in slides of William T. Wilson1_{s sponsored trip to Europe. Those persons who heard}

Paul W. Swisher's welcoming address on the future potential of the beekeeping in-dustry in Colorado obtained much worthwhile information. The use of pesticides and the outlook as it relates to the beekeeping industry, was presented by William Hantsbarger, Extension Entomologist, Colorado State University. Hhile the meeting was in progress, Glen Gibson of the A.B.F. dropped in. He addressed the group in a discussion concerning marketing and price supports. Later, a demonstration of new kinds of mechanical aids to beekeeping occupied the attention of all producers. Honey Queen: The C.B.A. elected a Colorado Honey Queen, Miss Patricia Davis of Durango. Miss Davis will serve this year, and will be Colorado's candidate for National Honey Queen next year.

Stock Show Booth: The decision to sponsor a honey booth at the National Western Stock Show was one of the outgrowths of the C.B.A. business meeting. It was decided to sell honey rather than distribute free samples. Gerald Rose, Wheat Ridge, chair-man of the honey booth committee, reports that several thousands of pieces of

literature were distributed, " ••• and very little of it was swept up with the litter after the show was over." Gerald has asked that special thanks be extended to those persons who donated time and energy to this honey promotion effort. Among those who contributed significantly were the Superior Honey Company~ for donating the service of filling jars with honey; Vernon Culhane, Durango, who made the silk ... screen labels for jars of honey; S. Riekes & Sons, Denver, who donated twelve gross of the con-tainers in which the honey was sold at the stock show. The Colorado Honey Queen was flown in from Durango and served at the honey booth through the ~ntire w~ek.

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Chief, Division of Plant Industry, Colorado Department of Agriculture, issues in-structions on the appointment of County Apicultural Inspectors:

Appointment of County Apicultural Inspectors is done in accordance with the procedure as prescribed in Chapter 7, Article 7, Section 2, C.R.S. 1963.

1~ A petition asking the Board of County Commissioners to appoint a County Apiary Inspector is written. The petition should give the needs for this appointment, and the duties of a County Apiary Inspector. (Division policy is that a County Apiary Inspector cannot inspect bees and/or equipment for interstate movement.) 2. After the petition has been prepared, it is circulated among all

the beekeepers of their county for their signature.

3. A majority of the beekeepers in their county must sign the petition before it is presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their next regular meeting.

4. After a person has been appointed County Apiary Inspector by the Board of County Commissioners, he

is

examined and approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture.

5. If the appointed County Apiary Inspector is found to be competent and fully qualified by the Commissioner of Agriculture, such appli-cant is issued a license which authorizes him to act as County Apicultural Inspector for a period of one year, or until his suc-cessor has qualified.

C.B.A. Appointments

C.B.A. President Gene Sanders has made several committee appointments, and has asked that·these be published in "B-Notes" for the information of all beekeepers.

COLORADO BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES FOR 1965 Research Committee

Harold Rice ch., S. J. Watkins, Kenneth Adcock Agriculture Advisory Committee

I. L. Hansen, Joe Wadleigh, Dooley Toyne,

s.

J. Watkins Delegates Ernest Harer, Joe Edwards, Gerald Rose, Sunny Pratt Alternates Winter Meeting (Arrangements and Program) Committee

Gerald Rose Ch., T. L. Ball, S. J. Watkins Summer Meeting Committee

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-3-Publicity Committee

Vernon Culhane ch., Jim Smith,

w.

D. Rice Resolutions Committee

To be chosen at winter meeting. Nominating Committee

To be chosen at winter meeting. Queen Committee

Joe Moffett, Pat Powers, Dooley Toyne, Gerald Rose, Mrs. Haeflei

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS

Dr. L. B. Daniels, Head of the Entomology Section at

c.s.u.,

reports that the vacancy left by the departure of William T. Wilson, who will be doing academic work at Ohio State University, has been filled ~y hiring Dr. Stanley Wellso, a graduate of Texas A & M University, but that his schedule will not include the teaching or research of apiculture. "B-Notes" will be assembled by the State Apiary Inspector, Division of Plant Industry, Colorado Department of Agriculture, and published and mailed from

c.s.u.

William Hantsbarger, Extension Entomologist, has announced the release of a new

u.s.D.A.

bulletin titled, "Selecting and Operating Beekeeping Equipment." Also, the fine

c.s.u.

publication, "Fundamentals of Beekeeping," first written by Joseph

0. Moffett, has been revised and re-printed, and will soon be ready for distribution. CLASSIFIED

Notice: Buy and sell solicitation will be printed in this section for any beekeeper to other beekeepers, provided that offerings and requests are directly related to the beekeeping industry.

Wanted to Buy: 100-300 colonies of bees with extra supers for extracting. Prefer

8 frame. but would accept 10 frame in good condition. Write or call: Robert Kent

1702 3rd Avenue Greeley, Colorado Phone: 352-7828

C.B.A. - A.B.F. DUES

The Colorado Beekeepers Association has voted to remain separated financially from the American Beekeeping Federation. Therefore, send C.B.A. dues to Mr. Ernest Harer, Box 506, Center, Colorado; and send A.B.&. dues directly to the American Beekeeping Federation.

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ADDITIONAL NOTES

Beekeepers who have any news items, obituaries, etc., they would like to have printed in "B-Notes" are asked to mail same to:

Homer P. Powers, State Apiary Inspector Division of Plant Industry

Colorado Department of Agriculture 1525 Sherman Street

Denver, Colorado 80203

APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

COLORADO EXPERIMENT

STATION

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SCIENCES s-F~c)..J

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ENTOMOLOGY SECTION

SUMMER MEETING

~ /S)A , j

June 4, 1965

This is a final reminder that the C.B.A. surrmer meeting will be held Monday, June 28, 1965, at Salida. President Gene Sanders has been working on a program, but assures all beekeepers that, since the summer meeting is an informal one, it will be possible to handle any program business which develops at the meeting.

The host committee is working on something new in the way of facilities, frivolities, or entertainment (we don't know which) for the families of attending beekeepers, so please be prepared with bikinis, baseballs, and dominoes, or what-ever else you like.

Also, there is a serious invitation by the President and the host and program committees to any beekeeper wishing to demonstrate a device or process to bring his props and arrange for a spot on the program to give his demonstration. The

summer meeting is the time for demonstrations. Meeting

Place Time Host Con11Uittee

C.B.A. Sun~er Meeting Salida, Colorado

(Swimming Pool Pavilion)

10:00 am

Ivan Hansen, Vernon Culhane, and Ethridge Belt

COLORADO HONEY WEEK MAY 16-23

The C.B.A. sponsored a special promotion of honey, and the week of May 16-23 was proclaimed by Governor John Love as Colorado Honey Week. The promotion was planned for this week to dovetail with the honey merchandising program of the Food Trades Program, U. S. Department of Agriculture, on a nationwide scale the same week.

Details of the promotion in Colorado included participation of Miss Pat Davis of Durango, the Colorado Honey Queen. Miss Davis' activities during Colorado Honey Week included:

1. An appearance on KOA-TV

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generous sample of honey from the Colorado Honey Queen. Leonard Feathers of the Colorado Department of Agriculture's Division of Marl~ets arranged these appear-ances and even supplied transportation for the Honey Queen. He says that Miss Davis is planning to assist in honey promotion at the Colorado State Fair at Pueblo this fall and is hoping to serve the interests of Colorado beekeepers by competing in the National Honey Queen contest at Louisville, Kentucky, in January, 1966.

In connection with the Colorado Honey Week, a Colorado beekeeper was: The subject of a feature story in the Rocky Mountain News written by Marjorie Barrett who illustrated her story with pictures of the beekeeper at work;

Present at the Governor's signing of the Colorado Honey Week proclama-tion;

Interviewed on KCTO, Channel 2, in its telecast of the program known as "Tempo";

Appeared in a factual discussion of Chuck Muller's show broadcast by KOA Radio.

The Colorado beekeeper making these appearances was Geraid Rose, Wheatridge, Colorado.

Finally, a news release accompanied by a picture of Governor Love signing the Colorado Honey Week proclamation was submitted to the 11_Packer11 _{in an effort to}

obtain additional publicity for Colorado honey. Coordination of these efforts was provided by staff members of the Division of Markets, Colorado Department of

Agriculture.

Governor Love's proclamation states that "--beekeeping is of critical im-portance to the success of fruit and forage crops depending on bees for flower pollination. The product, honey, is one of nature's perfect foods."

HONEY DONORS FOR STOCKSHOW BOOTH

Of those producers who offered, during the winter meeting of the C.B.A. to donate a can of honey for use at the Honey Booth at the National ~..]estern Stockshow which was held last January, the follov1ing named persons have delivered their donations to Superior Honey Company--gratis packers of the promotional samples:

Ken Adcock 1 can

Otis Adcock 1 can

Bill Baublitts 1 can

Ernest Harer 1 can

Harold Rice 1 can

Gerald Rose 1 can

Joe Hadleigh 1 can

Roger Hadleigh 1 can

Those donors who still have not brought in their can of honey are asked to bring it to the stmuner C.B.A. meeting at Salida, June 28, 1965.

WESTERN SEED CONTROL OFFTCIALS MEET

A featured speaker at the meeting of the Western Seed Control Officials

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-3-was Mr. Charles Allen, Harland, t.Jyomning. Mr. Allen is now a commercial seedsman at Worland and was formerly Extension Agronomist in Wyoming. The group in attend-ance heard Mr. Allen state that in his opinion alfalfa seed yields in t~oming have fallen off sharply due to the loss of wild pollinators caused by growers' spraying programs. According to Mr. Allen, alfalfa seed is no longer a major cash crop in Wyoming, because poor yields,due to insufficient pollination, have made alfalfa seed production unprofitable.

THE HONEYHDUSE

Martin Poyner, Chief, Division of Plant Industry, has announced a policy of gradual tightening up on the honeyhouse sanitation program in Colorado. It is suggested that beekeepers turn some particular attention this year to getting some "smooth, washable surfaces" into their extracting rooms. Floors that are rough, porous or cracked should be sealed. Epoxical resin surface coatings of several kinds are available and serve well on honeyhouse floors if properly applied. Mr. Poyner, Chief, Division of Plant Industry, has issued the reminder that toilets must be installed where other than family help is used, but that a household toilet

is adequate when only the occupants of that household \vork in the honeyhouse. He also cautions that an adequate supply of i.·Jater should alwa~/S be available in a honeyhouse.

HINTS FOR HONEYMEN

Josef Gidron, Beit Hasita, Israel, has had trouble with air bubbles in his honey as it comes through the honey pump. He solved the problem by allowing the honey to pass by gravity from the extractor to a pressure tank. This tank is then charged with air pressure, appropriate valves having been installed, and the honey is then moved to the settling tank by air pressure.

Pat Powers, Colorado Apiary Inspector, cautions that ant control with in-secticides should be done with caution. As the weather gets hotter and bees depend more and more on dew for their i.vater source, the danger of exposure to insecticides, spread for ant control by the beekeepers, increases. This should be a consideration in choosing an insecticide. The safest thing to do is use a

short-lived poison or make a bait.

CL'\SSIFIED

~otice: Buy and sell solicitation will be printed in this section for any beekeeper to other beekeepers, provided that offerings and requ~sts are directly related to the beekeeping industry.

For Sale: Used, 45 frame

Simplicity extractor Contact: Vernon Culhane

Route 3, Box 277 Durango, Colorado

Persons wishing to have printed in B-Notes anything of interest to beekeepers and those associated with the industry are asked to submit their contributions to:

Homer P. Powers, Jr., State Apiary Inspector Division of Plant Industry

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!,: . .. . : . ~ .: . .· ·~ . ! APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER · ENT0~10LOGY. SECTION .

COLORADO EXPERIHENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO 80521

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sc\£KCES

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Volume 15, Number 2 7-29-65

REPORT ON SUMMER MEETING

The 1965 Summer Meeting of C.B.A. held at Salida had a greater attendance than has been seen for some years. President Gene Sanders opened the meeting on schedule and the first thing attended to was an introduction of Mr. Stanley Hellso who will take Bud Wilson's place during his absence from C.S.U.

Gerald Rose reported on the C.B. A. honey booth at the National Western Stockshow and the process of running "Colorado Honey lveek." Both were absorbing projects and were judged successful for the ends intended. Several beekeepers wanted to set up a C.B.A. honey booth at the Colorado State Fair. Action resulted

in a.Ltthorizing the C. B.A. treasurer to make $350 available to a committee to be headed by Joe Edwards, Rocky Ford, which will execute the honey booth project at

the State Fair. S. J. w,~tkins, Grand Junction, reported on the government price support for honey and the association voted to endorse the recommendations of the American Beekeeping Federation.

The composition, editing, printing, and mailing of ';B.-Notes" came up at this meeting. It was decided by the agencies concerned, that the composition would be done by the Colorado Department of Agriculture but editing, printing, and mailing would be done at C.S.U. Then in order to give all areas of the state an

oppor-tunity for coverage in "B-Notes",President Gene Sanders appointed beekeeper reporters, geographically located, as follows:

James Smith

Caldwell Honey Company Vernon Culhane W. E. Limbach G. H. Rose S. J. Watkins Joe Edwards Kenneth Adcock L. D. Toyne Ethridge Belt Las Animas Rif-le _...... _..,.~ /' Durango Silt Wheatridge Grand Junc-tion----

J

Rocky Flrd

l!BK RlE'"'

Rocky. F rd

AUG 13 1965

Sedgw1.c

La Jara CO~ORAOO STATE UNIVERSITY These men will gather news-worthy material for publication in "B-Notes," and send in their contributions to the Colorado Department of Agriculture by a deadline date announced in each preceding issue. The deadline date for the next issue 'tvill be November 1, 1965.

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Tom Ball of Superior Honey Company, Denver, announced that he had withdrawn his interests in all Superior Honey Company plants except the Denver plant; he will continue as general manager of the Denver plant.

NEWS FROM NEIGHBORING STATES

Colorado beekeepers have been invited to attend the Wyoming beekeepers summer picnic at Thermopolis, Wyoming, August 1, 1965. Beekeepers in Hyoming will be competing later at the Wyoming State Fair where 12 classes of bees and bee products may be entered for judging.

New Mexico has instituted apiary registration. The annual fee will be $2.00 per location up to a maximum of $50.00. Commercial apiaries must be kept at least

1~ miles apart and in cases involving a conflict of location, the most recently established apiary will have to be moved.

Nebraska now prohibits the importation of bees on comb except where they are intransit to another state. Exempt by special permit are bees on comb described as nuclei defined as bees on comb where all combs contain live brood. It is now a statutory requirement in Nebraska that transaction documents for buying or

selling bees within the state include an inspection certificate if the transaction is commercial.

THE FLOOD

A glance at the title may cause the reader to ask "--which flood--';' since there have been incidents of flooding in a number of geographical locations and at different times throughout the state during the past two months.

Flood damage to Colorado agriculture in June amounted to $43.5 million or about 6% of the state's 1964 cash farm income.

The $43.5 figure is from an official survey made by C.S.U. Extension Service at the request of Governor John Love. The survey was made by county extension agents in 21 counties damaged by the flood. The estimate does not include damage to businesses which supply farmers or process agricultural commodities. Loss of weight by livestock in feed lots, which could not be measured readily, likewise, is not included. The losses which are taken into consideration include livestock, growing crops, hay, feed grains, farm homes and furnishings, domestic water systems, farm machinery and equipment, fences, irrigation pumps, stock wells and erosion and silt damage to land and irrigation systems. Several beekeepers suffered losses to flood water and at least one Colorado beekeeper lost a number of colonies of bees to the tornado-like winds which occurred about the same time as the flooding.

Another outgrowth of the flood was the State Health Department's report that the mosquito population was expected to increase. This increase in mosquito populations could become a health hazard as mosquitoes are the vectors of

encephalitis. They recommended that the flooded areas be sprayed and the State Department of Agriculture was designated as the contracting and supervisory agency of the project. Between June 21 and July 6, 194,480 acres of land in flooded areas of the Platte and Arkansas River Basins were treated with insecticide. The insecticide used was Baytex. Paul Swisher, Commissioner of Agriculture, sent warning letters to all known beekeepers in areas that were to be treated. Bee populations directly in the treated areas suffered some death loss and losses continued for several days. Several apiaries in the treated areas have been kept under observation. It now appears that the colony populations have recovered satisfactorily and that the spraying did not cause any significant reduction to the honey crop.

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-3-SPRAY PROBLEMS

This brings up the whole matter of insecticide spraying again. Insecticide losses to beekeepers is a matter of concern. Mr. Paul W. Swisher, Commissioner of Agriculture, recently said, "This year the beekeeping industry has sustained

damage from insecticides in a number of cases when the applicator did not know that there were bees in the area and could not obtain information on apiary loca-tions prior to his spray work. This points up the need for registtation of apiary locations which would be made available to pesticide applicators." He further said, "Since there have been these losses, it would be well for us to hold a meeting

with the apicultural advisory committee. This committee should give considerable thought to the problem and maybe we can come up with some proposed rules and regulations that will give our bees some protection." The hazard of insecticides to bees is of increasing concern elsewhere as indicated by an article titled "Protect the Bees" in the July issue of "Farm Chemicals," a widely read trade journal for the agricultural chemical industry. In this article are some general rules for applicators to follow and also a relative toxicity chart which should be useful to anyone concerned with insecticides. R. I. Sullivan, in charge of pesticide registrations for the Colorado Depart~nt of Agriculture, has modified this chart and adapted it for publication. A reproduction of it has been supplied to to "B-Notes" for release to the Colorado Beekeeping Industry_.

TOXICITY OF INSECTICIDES TO HONEYBEES

Group One Group Two Group Three Group Four

(highly toxic (highly toxic (moderately (relatively

~24-48 hrs.) 4-6 hrs.) toxic) nontoxic)

aldrin dimethoate chlorobenzilate Aramite

BHC malathion Co-Ral Bacillus thuringiensis

calcium arsenate Phosdrin DDT (TDE) Bordeaux

chlordane phosphamidon DDE cryolite

chlorthion sabadilla endrin Delnav

DDVP TEPP endosulfan demeton

diazinon Thimet isodrin Dilan

dicapthon Di-Syston Korlan Dylox

dieldrin Per thane ethion

EPN tartar emetic Genite

Guthion Ted ion Kelthane

heptaclor Trithion methoxychlor

lead arsenate Hit ox

lindane nicotine

Metacide ovex

Methyl Trithion Phostex

Dibrom pyrethrum

parathion rotenone

Sevin silica gel

Sectran Strabane

Technical malathion (low volume) sulfur

Fenthion (Baytex) sulphenone

Ted ion toxaphene

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KNOW YOUR BUYER

The 1965 crop will soon be in containers and ready for that all-important conversion of honey to money. It is an unhappy experience for the producer who makes a sale and then doesn't get paid. "B-Notes" recommends that the beekeeper do two main things in selling a crop. (1) Know your buyer. Your banker can probably give you a D & B report on a buyer. (2) Make sure the terms of the sale are clear to both parties. Condition of containers, going and coming, trans-portation, payment dates--all should be clearly understood and preferably in writing. A six month wait for your money costs you almost as much as a half-cent dock on the price established at the time of sale.

GILMORE TRAINED

The state apiary inspection service has been enhanced through the experience during the past year of Philip Gilmore, taxonomist, in the Plant Industry Division. Phil has been getting some practical apiary inspection experience, topped off with an intensive training period at the Bee Culture Laboratory at Laramiei Wyoming.

A B~NOTES REMINDER THAT HONEY IS A FOOD, NOT A DRUG

The U. S. Court of Appeals at Detroit last month upheld a District Court opinion that certain books and newspaper ads about the curative effects of honey in the same store that was selling the honey, were labeling. The 1963 opinion ruled in favor of a Federal seizure of the honey and literature.

U. S. District Court Judge Ralph Freeman said that promotional literature which explained or supplemented an article was "accompanying111

even though no physical attachment was involved. He ruled that the "textual relationship" was significant, and that the literature and product were "interdependent" and "parts of an integrated distribution program."

In upholding Judge Freeman's decision, the Appellate Court unanimously

agreed that the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act "was passed to protect unwary customers in vital matters of health." The opinion went on to say that "the court would not open a loophole through which those who prey on weakness, gullibility, and superstition of human nature''' could escape the consequences of their actions.

BULLETIN 418-A

This fine publication, completely revised by William T. Wilson, is now

available for distribution from local extension offices in 55 counties throughout the state, or may be obtained by writing the Bulletin Office, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.

CLASSIFIED

NOTICE: Buy, sell and work solicitation will be printed in this section for any beekeeper to other beekeepers, provided that offerings and requests are directly

, · related to the beekeeping industry.

Situations Wanted: George H. Holt, 5500 Ridge Trail, Littleton, Colorado, Phone SH4-4246, age 27, graduate Colorado State University, would like full or part time work with established beekeeper.

James Ely, 41 South Cook Street, Denver, Colorado 80209, college graduate, A

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-5-desires full time position with established beekeeper with option to buy operation. Experience includes work with migratory beekeeper .in.California ..

For Sale: Honey tank, 35 gal. Honey tank, 75 gal •.

Uncapping pl~ne .

Elec. uncapping knife Penn. type solar melter

Sask. type melter without heat unit Root 25 B extractor, converted to

power drive, with motor

Interested parties please enclosed F. E. Shaw 136·South 7th Avenue Brighton, Colorado $10.00 18.00 7.00 5.00 6.00 5.00 25.00

stamped self-addressed envelope

Deadline date for news for the next issue of "B-Notes" will be November 1, 1965. Persons wishing to have printed in "B-Notes" anything of interest to beekeepers

and those associated with the industry are asked to submit. their contributions: Homer P. Powers, Jr., Senior Entomologist

Division of Plant Industry

Denver, Colorado 80203

APICULTURAL NEWSLETTER ENTOMOLOGY SECTION ..

COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO 80521

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Ct?

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Volume 15: Number 3 November 10 1965

Entomology Conference

The Rocky Mountain Conference of Entomologists met at the 4-H Camp near Gould, August 8 - 12, 1965, and gave considerable attention to the control of pests by methods that are not injurious to pollination. One method is to develop a specific attractant for a pest, induce the pest to take bait treated with a chemo-sterilant which renders the pest unable to reproduce. A bonus from this method is that the concentration of pests, brought together by the attractant, acts as an attractant for parasites or predators on the pest. The use of parasites and predators is a well-known method of pest control. There are several well-known examples, but one of the less knmm but most spectacular exampl~s is the collapse of Black Hills beetle infestations due to a nematode in the female, a fungus disease, and a red• bellied predacious beetle. Recently, an infestation of Great Basin tent caterpillar was reduced 63% with one liberation of a virus attacking the insect.

Pollination

Dr. George J<no,-Jlton, Utah, reports that pollination has been hurt when crops ~.;ere sprayed in bloom. He says leaf cutting bees pollinate well but are too few in number. Exchanges of pollinators from other countries have not been successful, for N caip·ts have been dead on arrival--the honeybee evermore vital in seed produc-tion. In tne Yakima Valley in Washington there are 30,000 colonies of bees, ~11 needed for pollination, yet there is no continually safe place for bees. Interested entities have organized for the purpose of establishing a waste-area "refuge" where bees can be placed to escape pesticides between pollination and honey crop opera-tions. Nectar-producing plants have been established in these waste areas so that colonies of honeybees can support themselves between operations.

"Autumn Collapse"

The seriousness of this malady has attracted the attention of B-Notes, so the following report has been prepared for Colorado beekeepers. The condition was first observed in seve~al locations in the Sacramento Valley in the winter of 1961-62. Similar losses occurred at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Greateat losses were recorded in 1962-63 in Louisiana and in 1963-64

in California.

Special traps designed to recover sick or dead bees. traps scurry away from their hives. They are unable

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t

-2-not held at abnormal attitudes; their abdomens are often distended. They crawl very fast in a well-coordinnted manner for 20 to 40 feet, then their hind legs appear to drag and they slow down, turning in a small circle, and die within 20 minutes. Caged crawlers live less than two hours.

Crawling bees can seldom be found in affected colonies without traps. The cluster shrinks and the bees seem to dis~ppear. There may be areas of neglected brood, and at the same time, accelerated egg laying. Sick bees probably leave the colony while still able to fly and die some distance from the apiary.

Tests to date have eliminated all known bee pathogens and parasites and made the possibility of pesticide residue seem remote. Anyone observing the symptoms above, please contact the Entomology Section, Colorado State University, or the State Department of Agriculture.

American Honey Institute Moved

As of August 1~ 1965, the address of the American Honey Institute will be

333 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60601 (phone CE 3-60633). This is the address of Smith, Bucklin and Associates, who have managed some of the nation's most successful sales promotion and consumer education programs for trade groups in the food field. They will manage the A.H.I. and will represent all segments of the industry. Executive Director of the Institute will be John .M. Aldworth; home economics director will be Jean Hunter. The first action of this management firm was to welcome Grace Strickland, American Honey Queen for 1965, to Chicago. The queen and her chaperon were entertained at the new headquarters and visited a local beekeeper. As a result, publicity on the queen's visit to Chicago appeared in major newspapers on three different days and was covered by Associated Press.

Honey Production Down Slightly From 1964

The 1965 honey crop is expected to total 283 million pounds, according to the Crop Reporting Board. This is 1 percent below 1964, but 5 percent above the 1959-63 average. Yield is expected to average 50.9 pounds per colony, which is the same average yield as last year but above the 5-year average yield of 49.3 pounds. The estimated production is based on 5,558,000 colonies on hand July 1, 1965. This represents a 1 percent decline in number of colonies from 1964.

Although the U. S. average yield is expected to be the same as 1964, yields fluctuated sharply by regions. The North Atlantic region averaged 34.5 pounds compared with 48.2 in 1964, and the East North Central dropped from 65.0 to 54.1 pounds. Yields increased from 78.6 to 83.1 in the West North Central; 39.0 to 40.1 in the South Atlantic; 28.5 to 33.3 in the South Central; and from 50.7 to 56.0 in the Western States, ~lissouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas had the highest yield of record dating back to 1939. Weather conditions were generally favorable for nectar flow and bee activity in these areas. All States in the South Central region except Kentucky had yields above 1964 as the spring flow was heavy and the fall flow is expected to be very good.

Production was do~ltl sharply this season in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin as both number of colonies and yield were below a year earlier. The reduced production can be primarily attributed to the dry weather during the late spring and early summer period. Extensive winter kill of alfalfa and clover in Wisconsin resulted in a shortage of plants for bees to work. In the North Atlantic region all States had