Sykes v. Commissioner

57 T.C. 618, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 182
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 15, 1972
DocketDocket No. 7386-70
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 57 T.C. 618 (Sykes v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sykes v. Commissioner, 57 T.C. 618, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 182 (tax 1972).

Opinion

Dawson, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

Taxable year Amount
1967 _$3,073.79
1968 _ 9,751.91

Three issues are presented for decision. They are: (1) Whether petitioner Charles A. Sykes is entitled to capital gain treatment on the sale of raised alfalfa leafcutter bee larvae; (2) whether “breeder” bees qualify as “livestock” under section 1231 (b) (3) (B), I.B.C. 1954;1 and (3) whether petitioner is entitled to deduct in the year of purchase the cost of bee larvae purchased for resale or whether he must offset the cost against the sales price in the year of sale.

Petitioners amended their petition to raise the issue that they be allowed the benefits of income averaging under sections 1301 through 1305 for the years 1967 and 1968. Our decision with respect to the first issue will determine their entitlement to income averaging. The facts necessary for application of income averaging and a computation have been stipulated by the parties.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Charles A. and Marjorie M. Sykes (herein called petitioners) are husband and wife who resided in Nyssa, Oreg., when they filed their petition in this proceeding. They filed their joint Federal income tax returns for the years 1967 and 1968 with the district director of internal revenue at Boise, Idaho.

Charles A. Sykes (herein called petitioner), who is engaged in the business of farming, began raising alfalfa leafcutter bees as early as 1961. During 1967 and 1968 the petitioner spent about 80 percent of his time doing farm work and about 20 percent raising and selling leafcutter bees.

The following pertinent information about the alfalfa leafcutter bee appears in a publication dated August 1,1967, issued by the Agricultural Extension Service, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho:

The alfalfa leafcutter bee is one of the important alfalfa pollinators in Idaho. This bee, a native of Europe and Asia, was first collected in the United States in Virginia in 1937. It steadily moved westward until it is now found in almost all states except the extreme south. It has been known in Idaho since 1955. However, the first large increase in population occurred in 1960 and its potential for pollinating alfalfa was recognized. In 1961, a phenomenal increase in population took place throughout most of the Boise Valley and the Lower Snake River alfalfa seed growing areas.
NESTING HABITS AND BIOLOGY
TMs leafcutter bee normally nests in places that provide suitable boles for its cell construction, sucb as insect burrows in dead logs and limbs and cracks and crevices in wood and under bark. However, it bas been observed to nest in sucb places as nail boles, air pockets in concrete structures and in cinder blocks under shingles and bouse siding.
Tbe bees overwinter in silken cocoons inside tbeir lead-lined cells as creamy white, Vi inch long, full grown larvae. Shortly before emerging in June, tbe larvae change to pupae and soon emerge as adult bees. Upon emerging, each new female searches for nesting boles close to sources of food. Each nest is started with a cup or cell made of cut leaves and as soon as tbe cell is formed, tbe female visits alfalfa blossoms to collect pollen to provision tbe cell. She trips tbe flowers rapidly and scrapes tbe pollen with her front legs into tbe brush of hairs under her abdomen. Returning to tbe nest, she first enters it bead first and then emerges and backs in to deposit tbe pollen. After tbe last load of pollen is deposited in tbe cell, she regurgitates a “pool” of alfalfa neetor on tbe pollen mass and deposits a single egg. Tbe female then seals tbe cell and starts tbe next one using tbe sealed end as tbe bottom. This process is repeated until tbe nesting bole is filled. Finally, tbe outer cell in each bole is sealed with a plug of leaves.
Tbe egg batches in 2 to S days and tbe larva consumes tbe pollen mass in its cell and becomes full grown within a week. Some of tbe larvae remain without further development until tbe following year before emerging as adults. However, many will continue through tbeir life cycle and emerge as adults in about 28 to 35 days after tbe eggs are laid. These will produce a second generation, and under certain conditions, a few individuals may produce a third generation. Tbe number of eggs laid per female during her lifetime is uncertain, but estimates range from 30 to 40. Tbe ratio of males to females appears to be about one to one with tbe males usually occupying tbe outer cells in tbe nesting bole. Occasionally, bees that emerge from one nesting bole will all be of one sex. A greater percentage of males usually develop when tbe nesting boles are less than 2 y2 inches long.
Although male leafcutter bees occasionally will trip an alfalfa blossom, most of tbeir time is spent near tbe nesting site or chasing and mating with females in tbe field. Unmated females will produce only males; mated females produce both females and males.
Males sometimes spend tbe night in or near tbe nests but often will remain in tbe field. Tbe females, on tbe other band, stay in their nests overnight, usually close to tbe entrance with tbeir beads pointed inward.
Observations in Idaho indicate that alfalfa pollen is tbe primary source of food for alfalfa leafcutter bees. This is tbe principal reason for tbeir great value in afalfa seed production. However, sweet clover is also an attractive pollen plant and other flowering plants, such as spikeweed, cosmos, golden rod, knot-weeds, spurges and mallow are visited.
In Idaho, tbe leaves of alfalfa are tbe primary source of material for cell construction. However, leaves of knotweed, aster, and sweet clover, as well as flower petals of rose, petunia, and larkspur, dog fennel and other plants are occasionally used.
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ARTIFICIAL NESTS
Many successful devices liave been tried by researchers and growers to provide enticing artificial nests. Three-sixteenths inch holes drilled into wood and timber have probably been the most successful of all artificial nesting holes tried.
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The preferred type of leafeutter bee nest is prepared by stacking grooved boards in a box. Both % inch Particle Board and % inch fir plywood have been satisfactory in preparing the groove nesting boards. The grooves should be %2 inch in diameter and 3 inches long. The finished holes in the stack groove boards should be free of slivers. The size of the box which snuggly holds the grooved boards will depend upon the size of the field domicles [sic] and the convenience in handling.
PLACEMENT OF ARTIFICIAL NESTS

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Sykes v. Commissioner
57 T.C. 618 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
57 T.C. 618, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sykes-v-commissioner-tax-1972.