There is still much confusion regarding the registration of bees, and many beekeepers are not complying with the law. Some beekeepers think that if they register once, they need not do so again. Certain others probably have never registered their bees; though they are subject to a five dollar fine for not doing so on or before October 1. Apparently the law is not enforced in most towns. In the town of Stafford, one beekeeper who failed to register on the date prescribed was prosecuted and fined. I have not heard of another similar case. The law, Chapter 174, Public Acts of 1919, as amended in Chapter 129, Public Acts of 1923, is as follows:

"Section 1. Every person owning one or more hives of bees shall, annually, on or before the first day of October, make application to the town clerk of the town in which such bees are kept, for the registration of such bees, and such town clerk shall issue to such applicant a certificate of registration upon the payment of a recording fee of twenty-five cents, which certificate shall be in the form prescribed and upon blanks furnished by the commissioner of domestic animals and shall be recorded in the office of such town clerk.

Sec. 2. A record of such registration and of the name and place of residence of the registrant and the definite location in the town where bees are kept by him shall be kept in a separate book in the office of the town clerk, which record shall be accessible to the public. Each town clerk shall file with the state entomologist of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station a complete list of such registrations and locations on or before the first day of February of the year succeeding such registrations. Any town clerk failing to perform such duty shall be fined not more than ten dollars."

Sec. 3. Any owner of bees who shall fail to register as required by the provisions of this act shall be fined not more than five dollars."

According to records in this office, 1,416 beekeepers registered in the State in 1923, yet the inspections of 1924 contained 166 names that were not registered the preceding October. As only 923 apiaries were inspected in 1924, which is less than two-thirds of the number registered, there must have been considerably more than 166 beekeepers who failed to register. Moreover, it is rather difficult to obtain complete data from the town clerks.

Of course the law does not compel them to report to the State Entomologist in case no bees have been registered in a given town. Yet unless they do report, the State Entomologist has no way of knowing whether none were registered or whether registrations were made and the clerk failed to report them. Repeated requests and considerable correspondence have been necessary to obtain from the town clerks even an approximate record of the beekeepers who have registered throughout the State.

All beekeepers should each year on or before October 1, register with the town clerk in the towns where their bees are kept.

All town clerks should report complete data regarding such registration to the State Entomologist. They need not wait to do this but may report any time after October 1, and must do so on or before February 1, following such registration.

REPORT OF GIPSY MOTH WORK.

Year Ending June 30, 1924.

BY W. E. BRITTON AND JOHN T. ASHWORTH.

This work has been conducted as in former years by State and Federal agencies working in co-operation, the Federal agencies expending their efforts near the margin of the area known to be infested in order to prevent further spread and the State forces working within the infested area in order to hold the pest in check. This co-operation has proven very satisfactory and we hereby wish to express our appreciation and thanks to Mr. A. F. Burgess, in charge of moth work and Mr. H. L. Blaisdell, in charge of field work, both of the Federal Bureau of Entomology. A somewhat detailed account of how the work is organized and prosecuted was published in the 22nd Report of the State Entomologist, page 290 (see Report of Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for 1922, page 290) and need not be repeated here. The fact that a larger area is now infested than was known to be infested at that time does not mean that the pest has been spreading rapidly during this period. The explanation lies rather in the extensive windspread of May, 1920, and possible additional spread of 1921, the limits of which have only recently been discovered. Both Federal and State funds have not been adequate to cover all suspected territory in any one season.

NEW EQUIPMENT.

The Buick touring car purchased in 1921 was exchanged March

31, 1924, for a new Buick of similar type.

One new Ford light delivery truck was purchased on December

24, 1923.

As some of the spray hose had seen its best days, it was necessary to replace it, and five hundred feet were purchased on June 23, 1924, from the Acme Rubber Company of Boston, Mass.

The above-mentioned articles, together with a few small tools such as pliers, screw drivers and hammers, comprise the new equipment for the year.

DETAILS OF INFESTATIONS.

WINDHAM COUNTY.

As Windham County lies nearest to the center of the large infested region in New England and was the first county in the State to become generally infested with the gipsy moth, it may rightly be regarded as the most densely infested portion of Connecticut. Such is the case. The following table will show the conditions in the county in 1923 as compared with those in 1917, but does not include the towns of Thompson, Woodstock, Putnam and Plainfield, where the scouting was not completed this year.

By comparing these figures, it will be seen that the control measures taken and the work done have not been in vain. Parasites have been liberated over the entire county and it is our aim to collect egg-masses in this district this season to determine whether or not they have become established and to what extent they are working.

The following is a brief summary of the work done in each town in the county. In Brooklyn, though no large colonies were found, one of 34 egg-clusters in woodland owned by John Harrington a little west of the Old Trinity Church, and another of 23 egg-clusters in oaks in the Quinebaug mill yard, were the two largest colonies found in the town. Fifteen of the 16 colonies were sprayed by State men in the summer.

Canterbury was scouted in the early fall, and the infestations found were all in the northern half of the town. Three small colonies were found just south of Westminster village, and all others were north of this region. The largest was one of 83 eggclusters in mixed woodland and a stone wall on land owned by Sherman Gallowy in the northwestern part of the town, near the Hampton line. Ten of the 13 infestations were sprayed by State men in June.

One of the five colonies found in Chaplin contained 24 eggclusters, but the others were all small. Seven single egg-clusters were also found scattered widely over the town. The above-mentioned infestation was found in two white oaks on a woodland edge owned by John Evans in the extreme northwestern corner

of the town near the Ashford line. All five of the colonies were sprayed by State men during June.

Hampton was scouted the latter part of August, four colonies and five singles being found. The colonies were all small, the largest containing 17 egg-clusters on apple trees and in a stone wall on an abandoned farm in the northern end of the town about one quarter mile from the Ashford town line. Three of the colonies were sprayed in June by State men.

Killingly was used as a school for training new men this year. The result shows the town to be infested generally, and that there are several large colonies. Four of the largest will be described in this report. The largest one had 490 egg-clusters on willow, maple and apple trees located on Mechanics Street, Danielson. The willow trees were badly infested, and most of the egg-clusters were found on them. Another colony of 96 egg-clusters was found in woodland owned by Mrs. Simmons and Mrs. Clement located nearly on the Rhode Island State line in the southeastern part of the town. One of 73 egg-masses was found in woodland owned by E. T. Kelley near the Plainfield town line on the east side of Snake meadow brook. The fourth one contained 46 egg-masses on apple and oak trees along the edge of woodland owned by T. E. Hopkins near the Hygeia water reservoir. There were a number of other colonies containing from 15 to 25 eggclusters each. During the summer, 63 of the 88 infestations in the town were sprayed by State men.

Plainfield was only partly scouted this year, about 20 miles of road in the southern part of the town being done. One colony of 16 egg-clusters and seven single egg-cluster infestations were found. The colony was on a white oak on the roadside at Joe Bole's place, located in the south center of the town near the Griswold town line. This place was sprayed in the summer by State men.

As in the case of Plainfield, Putnam was only about one-fourth scouted, the work being done in the eastern end of the town, where five colonies and four single egg-clusters form the total. None of the colonies were large, 16 egg-clusters in an apple orchard at Cady's corner being the largest. Three of the colonies were sprayed in the summer by State men.

In Scotland, the work was confined to the territory around last year's infestations on account of the lateness in the season when this town was reached. Two small colonies of seven eggclusters each were found in the center of the town near the post office, one on land owned by Charles Wheeler and the other on land owned by Louis B. Crosby. One single egg-mass was found in an apple tree owned by Mr. Romson located in the extreme northwestern corner of the town. Both of the seven egg-cluster colonies were sprayed in June by State men.

Twenty colonies were discovered in Sterling this year, only two

of them being very large. One of 85 egg-clusters was found in an orchard owned by Mr. Brown, about one and a half miles north of Oneco village. The other contained 56 egg-clusters in an oak owned by E. Wicks, about two and a half miles north of the above-mentioned colony. Fifteen of these colonies were sprayed in June by State men.

About 26 miles of roadside scouting were done in the town of Thompson by men who were being trained. This took in nearly the whole northeastern quarter of the town. Eighteen colonies were found, all small except two; one of 128 egg-clusters in an apple orchard and stone wall on land owned by Allen Bixby along the State road connecting Brandy Hill and Webster, Mass., near the Midland division railroad crossing; the other was in woodland at the northern end of Quadick Reservoir owned by Sheriff Bates, where 60 egg-clusters were found. Fifteen of the 18 places were sprayed during the last of June and first of July by State men.

Windham was one of the last towns to be scouted this year, and the spraying season came on before the work was completed. Thirty-five miles of roadway were covered and only one colony of six egg-clusters could be found. This was in an oak tree in a pasture owned by William F. Spokesfield in South Windham.

The scouting done in Woodstock was started in the late spring and the men kept at it until the spraying crew overtook them. Spraying was stopped on July 12, for by that time the larvae were nearly mature, and eating very little. Spraying under such conditions does very little good. Seventy infestations were found in the northern half of the town that was covered; single eggclusters where larvae were found feeding were sprayed the same as colonies of five or more egg-clusters each. No very large colonies were found, four of the largest being as follows: one of 67 egg-clusters in a roadside oak owned by Edward Chamberlin near the north end of Roseland Lake; another of 50 egg-clusters in an orchard and woodland owned by L. M. Dodge in the northwestern corner of the town near the Massachusetts line; two others, one of 44 and one of 43 egg-clusters on land owned by Mr. Redhead and I. A. Paine respectively, located about two miles west of the North Woodstock post office, both in apple orchards. Sixty-five places were sprayed by State men in Woodstock this spring.

TOLLAND COUNTY.

Coventry was scouted by State men this year. The three largest colonies were found in a straight line east and west along the northern end of the town nearly parallel with the Tolland line. The other four infestations were small and widely scattered. One of the above mentioned colonies was in apple and oak trees in a pasture owned by Phineas Talcott, and contained 13 egg-clusters. Another of 17 egg-clusters was found in an old apple tree