1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



435 



would be the amount of machinery it takes 

 — tin tubes, tunnel, hole in the quilt, which 

 we have found quite an annoyance, and the 

 difficulty in opening a hive with a tube 

 through the quilt. Also, these feeding 

 frames must be taken out and stowed some- 

 where when not in use. If you do not till 

 tlie lower part of the frame with comb, the 

 bees will ; and then when out of the hive, 

 the worms will get into these combs. Also, 

 how do you avoid making the feed run over, 

 unless you measure out just so much to pour 

 in the tunnel, at every "dose"V For all 

 that, the arrangement has some very decid- 

 ed advantages.— Glued frames are certainly 

 very nice and strong ; and in connection 

 with the dovetailed joints we make, they are 

 strong and quickly done. Did we not use 

 the metal corners, I think we should put all 

 our frames together with glue. — If the bees 

 keep swarming, they surely get honey ; and 

 if they get honey, I think I should manage 

 to " get honey," if I were you. 



Or Enemies of Bees Among Insect Tribes. 



f INCLOSE a bee or fly that I caught to-day. Will 

 you please tell me what it is, as I have seen 

 ' them in the greenhouses all winter, sipping 

 honey out of the flowers? Idonotlsnow whether 

 they have stings or not. Will A. Hammond. 



Richmond, Va., July 8, 1883. 



Answer by Prof. Cook : — 



The insect sent by Will A. Hammond, Richmond, 

 Va., is a syrphus fly, and is referred to on page 31 of 

 my Manual. This one so mimics a hybrid bee, that 

 no wonder the sender did notlinow whether it was a 

 bee or a flj\ This insect has only two wings, and so 

 belongs to the order of Diptera, and no such insects 

 possess stings. The syrphus flies are very bright 

 colored, and often so resemble wasps and bees that 

 it is not easy, even for the entomologist, to tell them 

 without close attention. They like sweets, and so 

 are often seen about flowers, in companj' with bees 

 and wasps. They like the warm sunshine, and may 

 often be seen about flowers, seemingly motionless, 

 80 quiet and dextrous are they as fliers; but if we 

 come near, or move quickly, they dash away like a 

 flash of light. It is pretty certain that this mim- 

 ickry among animals is not accidental, but that it is 

 (he result of fixed laws of development, and is of 

 great use to its possessors, in protecting them. Thus 

 the birds, like our Richmond friend, fear the sting 

 of these syrphus flies, though they have no such 

 weapon. Thus many a fly goes free because itlooks 

 like the harmful wasps. 



Some of the maggots of these ss'rphus flies possess 

 long tail-like appendages, and so are called rat-tail 

 larvae. Such larvae live in water. Others feed, while 

 larvte, on decaying wood, and still others do us a 

 great deal of good by feeding on plant lice, which 

 they destroy in great numbers. Most of the flies 

 are very gay in coloration, and so make quite a 

 showy collection when nicely preserved for the cab- 

 inet. A. J. Cook, 



Lansing, Mich., July 14, 188?, 



OR HONEY-PLANTS TO BE NAMED. 



SEND a honey-plant that I should like to have 

 you name. It grows very plentifully here In 

 pastures that are not fed too short, by the 

 roadside, old run-out fields, and, finally, almost any^ 

 where. Perhaps it is not of any especial benefit, as 

 it blooms about the same time as white clover; but 

 even white clover fails some seasons, and perhaps 

 this would take its place. I think the Cyprians work 

 better on it than either the blacks or Italians. 

 Ripley, Me., June 20, 18S3. W. Hoyt. 



AVe have the plant here, but it is visited but 

 little by the bees, owing, perhaps, to the 

 fact that we only occasionally find solitary 

 plants. Not being able to name it, we send 

 it to Prof. Lazenby,who replies as follows:— 



The pl5vnt is Bnuidla vulgar s, L., commonly call- 

 ed " self-heal," or " blue-curls." It belongs to Labi- 

 ate, or mint family. Perhaps the most remarkable 

 feature about thisplant is its wide distribution. It is 

 found almost everywhere, but is not considered in^ 

 digenous to this country. It is not a troublesome 

 weed, though found on many farms. In ancient 

 timeR it was highly prized for its supposed medicin-. 

 al virtues, — especially for healing wounds,— hence 

 one of its common names. Wm. R. Lazenby. 



Columbus, Ohio, July 31, 1882. 



HOAV TO MAIil5 AN OBSERVATORY 

 BEE-HIVE. 



ALSO HINTS ON USING IT AT FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS. 



BURING the months of September and October, 

 nearly every State and county will hold its 

 annual exhibition. The bee-keeper who in- 

 tends to exhibit his products is now preparing for 

 the show. As we have been through the operation 

 several times, we know that it is quite an undertak- 

 ing, and there is fully as much danger of doing too 

 much as of doing too little. We find that where the 

 bee-keeper tries to exhibit bees in the open air, and 

 flying at all hours of the day, he will usually make a 

 failure of it. The bees must be exhibited under 

 glass, and the object of this article is to describe our 

 observatory hive. There are others who may have 

 used such a hive, but we have never seen one de- 

 scribed. 



The object of a one-comb observatory hive is to al- 

 low people to see the bees, the queen, the brood, 

 and, perchance, the queen in the act of laying. 

 Such a hive must be placed where people can get 

 their eyes close to the glass, and in such a manner 

 that they can examine both sides readily. Ouf hive 

 has a space of two inches between the glass. It has 

 thorough ventilation at the top and bottom through 

 one-inch holes covered Avith wire cloth. It is provid- 

 ed with panels, to protect the glass when necessary, 

 and a tin corner, so it can be used outdoors or in a 

 building. Under the center of the bottom we secure 

 a two-inch block with an inch hole in it; into this we 

 insert a peg, which is secured firmly to a narrow 

 board. This board is secured by screws to a shelf of 

 the proper height. The hive can now be turned.up- 

 on its center into any position required, and any 

 person can turn it just right to accommodate the eye. 



