REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 337 



their Lnnp^cr and tliirst by attacking the fruit exposed. They daily visi- 

 ted the (Vuit in git^at numbers, and labored diligently to improve the 

 only reniaiuing source of subsistence. They inspected and took what 

 advantage they could of cveiy opening at the stem or crack in the epi- 

 dermis or inincture made by insects which deposit their eggs in the skin 

 of grapes. They regarded the epidermis of the peaches, pears, plums, 

 and other fruits having a thick covering simply as subjects for inquiry 

 and investigation, and not objects for attack. If the skin be broken or 

 removed they will, in case of need, lap and suck the juices exposed. 

 The same was also true of the grapes if the skin was broken by violence 

 or burst on account of the fj uit becoming overripe; the bees lapped and 

 sucked the juices from the exposed parts of grapes and stored it in the 

 cells for food. They made no attempt to grasp the cuticle of grapes 

 with their mandibles or with their claws. If the grapes were cut open 

 or burst from overripeness the bees would lap and suck the juice from 

 the exposed segments of the grape until they came to the film separat- 

 ing the exposed and broken segments from the unbroken segments. 

 Through and beyond the film separating the segments they appear to 

 be unable to penetrate. I removed the outer skin from many grapes of 

 different kinds, taking care not to rupture the film surrounding the pulp. 

 When these were exposed to the bees they continued to lap and suck 

 the juices from the outer film until it was dry and smooth as was the 

 film between broken and unbroken segments. They showed no dispo- 

 sition to use their jaws or claws, and the outer film as well as the film 

 between broken segments remained whole until the pulp decayed and 

 dried up. 



After continuing the test for thirty days, using such varieties of fruit 

 as could be obtained, we sent to Michigan for varieties not obtainable 

 here. Through the kindness and favor of the president of the Michi- 

 gan Horticultural Society, Mr. T. T. Lyon, of South Haven, Mich., we 

 secured twenty varieties of grapes, which arrived in excellent condition. 

 Another colony of Italian bees was then placed in the house with those 

 already confined for forty days, and the twenty varieties of grapes were 

 exposed upon plates and suspended from the rafters as before. The 

 conditions naturally prevalent during a severe and protracted drought 

 were again i)roduced, and the test again continued for twenty-five days. 

 The result was simply a repetition of the former test. The bees showed 

 no more capacity or disposition to offer violence to one variety of grapes 

 than another. No more attention was given the thin-skinned varieties 

 than the thick-skinned. As long as the skin remained whole they did 

 not harm the grapes. When the skins were broken by violence, such 

 as by cutting or squeezing, the Juices exposed were appropriated. The 

 extent of damage the bees could do to grapes burst from overripeness 

 depended on the extent of the rupture in the film surrounding the pulp. 

 A wide rupture may be made in the epidermis, or it may be removed, 

 and if the film is unbroken the pul]> remained whole. The film seldom 

 bursts until the grape is about to decay, or has begun to decay, and 

 then the grape is of little value. 



In order to determine the size of the opening necessary to be made 

 in order that bees might injure grapes, we punctured the cuticle of 

 the gTapes in several bunches with cambric needles of various sizes. 

 The puncture made with the point of medium-sized needles produced no 

 effect. Neither does the puncture made by the sting of insects when 

 ovipositing until the blister appears and decay progresses with the de- 

 velopment of insect larvre. I found that I might pass a medium-sized 

 needle through a grape, from side to side, and bees could obtain no 

 22 AG— '85 



