Dec. 12, 1901. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



793 



best killing agent, and it was found the last was the only 

 one that would always leave the tongue in a completely re- 

 laxed condition for measurement. The water is first made 

 boiling hot and then the bees are either thrust into the 

 water or the water dashed upon the bees. 



ME.\SUREMENT OF THE TONGUE. 



To obtain the tongue-reach the head of the wet bee is 

 removed and the tongue pulled out between thumb and 

 finger as far as it will reach and pressed in this condition 

 upon a glass slide with the face of the bee uppermost. The 

 slide is then placed under the compound microscope and 

 upon a rule graduated to hundredths of an inch, and the 

 length of li gula. nientum, sub-mentum and total length read 

 separately and recorded. 



WHERE THE BEES WERE OBTAINED. 



The bees whose tongues I measured have come from Maine 

 to Texas in this countr3% and I have also had bees from 

 imported queens from Germany, Italy and the Isle of Cyprus. 

 In several cases bees were sent from the best and the 

 poorest colonies in an apiary, and I took pains to obtain bees 

 from those who were advertising long-tongued or red- 

 clover queens. I have not asked permission to use the 

 names of parties who were kind enough to send me bees, 

 and sliall not do so except in one or two cases, where I feel 

 confident there could be no objection. 



RESULTS OF THE MEASUREME.NT. 



Black Bees : Only four lots of black bees have been re- 

 ceived. In one lot I obtained a tongue reach of from 13 

 to t6 hundredths of an inch, and a total length of from 24 

 to 25 hundredths, and an average of 24.5 hundredths. 



Another lot gave a tongue-reach of from 14 to 16 hun- 

 dredths of an inch, and a total length of from 23.5 to 24 

 hundredths, and an average of 23.9 hundredths. 



A third lot gave a tongue-reach varying between 16 and 

 ,19 hundredths of an inch, and a uniform total length of 

 24 hundredths. 



The lot which gave an average tongue-length of 24.5 

 hundredths seemed to have some Italian blood. 



Carniolan Bees : I have had but one lot of Carniolans. 

 The range of tongue-reach in these was between 21 and 22 

 himdredths of an inch, and the total length of tongue 

 varied between 25.5 and 26 hundredths of an inch, with an 

 average of 25.6 hundredths. 



Italian Bees: Tongues from 24 lots nf Italian workers 

 have been measured. These have come from various parts 

 of the United States. Usually from five to ten bees were 

 taken for this purpose from each of the lots sent. Some of 

 these bees were rather dark, and others were usually yel- 

 low, "golden Italians." Those having most yellow upon the 

 abdomen did not have longer tongues than others. 



In the following table I have given the variations in tongue 

 length and tongue-reach, and also the averages of these meas- 

 urements in the several lots of bees received : 



TABLE GIVING LENGTHS OF BEES' TONGUES. 



Cyprians — From Mr. Frank Benton. 



Carniolans— Queen from Mr. Frank Benton. 



25.50 I 25.00 



17.50 



17.00 



17.15 



Black Bees. 



Apis Dorsata — Alcoholic Specimens. 



26.00 I 25.00 I 25.50 



I 18.00 



Bumble Bees. 



58.00 I 45.00 I 50.80 



I 29.50 I 33.75 



