794 



AMEPJCAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 12, 1901. 



SOME CONCLUSIONS. 



An examination of the above table will show that the 

 entire tongue-length (from tip of ligula to base of suli- 

 mentuni) has varied in these measurements between 24.50 

 and 26.50 hundredths of an inch in Italians ; between 25 

 and 27 hundredths in Cyprians; between 23.50 and 25 hun- 

 dredths in Blacks; and between 25.50 and 26 hun- 

 dredths in one small lot of Carniolans. If we 

 consider the length of ligula alone we shall see that it 

 would vary between 16 and 17.50 hundredths of an inch in 

 the Italians ; between 16 and 18 hundredths in the Cyprians : 

 between 15 and 16 hundredths in Blacks: and between 17 

 and 17.50 hundredths in the Carniolans. The tongue-reach 

 varied in the Italians between 15 and 22 hundredths; in the 

 Cyprians between 19 and 23 hundredths ; in the Blacks be- 

 tween 13.50 and 19 hundredths; and in the Carniolans be- 

 tween 21 and 22 hundredths of an inch. 



By striking general averages from the columns of aver- 

 ages we get, from the Italian tongue, 25.47; for the Cyprian 

 26.12; for the Black, 24.07. 



The extreme variation in tongue-length in the Italian was 

 but .02 of an inch ; it was the same in the Cyprians, and was 

 but I'/ hundredths in the Blacks. 



The average tongue-length in the Italian exceeded the 

 average in the Blacks by .014 of an inch ; and the Cyprian 

 tongue exceeded the Italians by .0065 of an inch. 



By comparing the average tongue-lengths of all that were 

 sent as long-tongued bees with the average length of all 

 bees received. I find a difference in favor of the former 

 of .0004 of an inch. The best average length of any lot 

 sent me as long-tongued was .2555 of an inch, which is but 

 .0008 of an inch longer than the average length of all the 

 bees sent. An examination of the table will show eight 

 lots of Italian hees with an average tongue-length exceeding 

 that of the best lot of "long-tongued" bees. 



I shall have to conclude that, so far as my study of the 

 subject has gone, there has been no indication of any strain 

 of the common honey-bee (Ap/is melifera) worthy of the 

 distinction "long-tongued." If any of the bees examined 

 are worthy of such a name, it is the Cyprians. It is pos- 

 sible, however, that the average length of tongue in this 

 race may be changed by the examination of more material 

 from other apiaries. 



These facts do not disprove that there may be strains of 

 bees that work more freely than others upon red clover. 

 It does indicate very strongly that the difference in tongue- 

 length has little or nothing to do with the tendency of 

 bees to work upon red clover. In fact, I have received 

 bees from colonies that were said to work freely on red 

 clover, and along with them bees from other colonies in the 

 same apiary that were .said not to work upon red clover, 

 and have been unable to find any difference in tongue-length 

 in favor of the clover workers. 



It will be noticed in the table that the few tongues of 

 bumble-bees that were measured are very much longer than 

 the tongues of any of the honey-bees, the shortest being .45 

 and tlie longest .58 of an inch. The average length is 

 almost twice the average length of the tongue of the honey- 

 hee. 



The specimens of Apis dorsata came from Mr. E. R. 

 Root, and were in alcohol. They were placed in alcohol 

 and boiled until the tongues seemed perfectly flexible and 

 to extend to full length. It will be noticed that the length 

 barely exceeds that of the Italians. 



I do not wish to carry the impression that I think it would 

 not be to the advantage of a honey-bee to have an increased 

 tongue-length, but I can hardly understand how the addi- 

 tion of one or two hundredths of an inch is going to help 

 very much to gather honey from red clover. The length of 

 the corolla-tube through which the tongue must reach, in the 

 heads of red clover that I have examined, have varied be- 

 tween .34 and .37 hundredths of an inch. The extreme reach of 

 the tongue beyond the mandibles in any bees I have meas- 

 ured, has been .23 of an inch. It makes me" wonder if it is 

 possible that those who think bees have gathered- honey 

 from red clover can be mistaken, and that they visit the 

 blos.soms of this plant for pollen only. This is only a sug- 

 gestion, but some one who has the opportunity should 

 settle it for a certainty. 



Neither would I leave the impression that I think it im- 

 possible to breed up a race of genuine long-tongued bees, 

 Tjut I am very strongly of the opinion that it can only 

 he brought about by a long process of careful selection 

 and breeding. They will not spring into existence all at 

 ■once. 



Photographing a Bee— How it was Done. 



BV D. W. WORKIXi.. 



READERS of the American Bee Juurnal may be interested 

 in the story of the photograph as well as in the photo- 

 graph itself: lor it is no easy matter to pose a worker-bee 

 just right and to get as good a picture of her as that shown 

 on the first page of this number. 



I took a number of bees to one of the best photographers 

 in Denver — Mr. J. C. Collier — who takes pride in doing difficult 

 work better than anybody else. He shook his head, and said 

 it would be impossible to get the hee to sit still long enough to 

 get a satisfactory exposure. ''Why not get a snap sliot?" 

 said I. Mr. Collier's look convinced me of the stupidity of 

 my question before he had time to frame an answer. How 

 could he get the bee into focus? I supposed the thing was 

 easy enough — for a professional. But we took no picture that 

 day. When I called a few days later the bees were shrunken 

 corpses. "Too liad I" said the kind-hearted picture-maker. 



I wanted a photograph. So a week or two later. I caught 

 a few more bees and carried them to tbe studio. Mr. Collier 

 saw he must make me a picture to get rid of me. And at it he 

 went I He is a patient man: has photographed dogs, cats, 

 horses, cows, and cross babies that had to be made to look 

 sweet. The bee was worse than any of thera. I wanted 

 something more than a life-sized portrait — as the bee-keeper 

 will understand from the engraving — and I got it, thanks to 

 the patience and perseverance of the photographer. But the 

 bee was dead before we got her posed just right, with that 

 look of honey sweetness on her face. It is the •'ruling passion" 

 strong in death. She was cross enough to look at before she 

 died — poor thing — but it all came back in time to be caught, 

 and forever impressed on the sensitive plate in the big camera. 



In the end. tlie picture was taken by placing the bee be- 

 tween two plates of glass just far enough separated to hold 

 her in place without squeezing her out of shape. Of course 

 she was not arranged "just right'" without many changes and 

 readjustments. But at last she was posed as you see her — not 

 perfectly, as she would have posed herself in life, but so near- 

 ly life-like in appearance that she is worth looking at and 

 remembering. 



Three times did Mr. Collier make a negative. The first 

 time the plate was exposed three minutes. The result v.-as 

 not to his liking. Then he gave a new plate a ten-minute ex- 

 posure. The result was better, but still not satisfactory. 

 Finally, after an exposure of seven minutes by the watch, the 

 hard lines of the old man's countenance relaxed as he looked 

 at the plate and said: "It couldn't be better — with such light 

 as we have.'' So I was satisfied. Arapahoe Co., Colo. 



i ^ Tlie Aftertiiou^iit. ^ 



The "Old Reliable" seen through New and Unreliable Qlosses. 

 By e. E. HASTY, Sta. B Rural, Toledo, O. 



SMOKING BEES — GETTING WORKER-COMB BUILT. 



Two ideas in Dr. Gallup's article, page 662, catch my 

 attention. One is that frequent use of smoke makes bees 

 cross. It seems to me that it must be a wrong reading of 

 the facts that leads to that conclusiou. Letting bees get 

 the start of you undoubtedly makes them cross — and then 

 you /lave lo use much smoke — and then you can charge the 

 smoke with the mischief which the other circumstance did. 



The other idea is moving outside frames into the center 

 to have the comb built worker size instead of drone. I feel 

 ashamed to confess that that comes to me rather as a new 

 idea. It worked in his case, and very likely would work in 

 most cases. It usually doesn't work to take out a center comb 

 of a colony that swarms, and replace it by an empty frame ; 

 but that is a different affair. In hiving on empty frames 

 and letting entirely alone, the outside combs are mostly not 

 built at all till during a strong flow they are wanted to 

 store honey. This, of course, tends to drone-comb; while 

 getting them built promptly, and in the center, would tend 

 the other way, unless drone-brood was eagerly wanted. 



..CABBAGES AND LEMONS. 



Cabbages two cents a pound and lemons one cent a 

 pound, eh ? Pretty good lecture on the law of demand and 

 supply. Page 666. 



