236 



July, I&IJ 



[American Bee Jionrnall 



perforce content themselves with the 

 pollen. 



I JThe scarlet runner (/'/("avo///.'; otk/zA 

 llorii.<), the common garden pea (J'lsttm 

 salh'inn), and the sweet pea (fMl/iyrits 

 odora/i/s) have the parts of the corolla 

 so firmly locked together that honey- 

 bees are not strong enough to depress 

 the keel. One season, and only one, in 

 my garden bumble-bees punctured the 

 flowers of the scarlet runners when the 

 honev-bees quickly noticed their op- 

 portiinity and extracted the nectar 

 through the holes. 



The scarlet geraniums, or Pelargon- 

 iums come from South Africa, and in 

 this country are very rarely visited by 

 insects. They appear to be Lepidoterid 

 forms. The petunias come from South 

 America, and in their old home are 

 probably nocturnal fiowers. 



Very many cultivated flowers are thus 

 of no value to bee-keepers. I trust this 

 brief review may lead some of my 

 readers to investigate other forms for 

 themselves. I believe that every bee 

 culturist will find it profitable to famili- 

 arize himself with the honey flora of 

 his region, and I am sure he will find it 

 a great pleasure. The time is soon 

 coming when the honey plants of every 

 part of our country will be well known, 

 and the problems relating to them will 

 be more carefully studied than ever be- 

 fore. Encourage your children, both 

 boys and girls, to learn the names of 

 the wild flowers about them, and to 

 prepare a list of those visited by honey- 

 bees. They will not only gain much 

 useful information, but will cultivate 

 mental habits of priceless value. Ability 

 to observe carefully has been rightly 

 described as one of the elements of 

 success. 



Waldoboro, Maine. 



Notes by a Queen-Breeder 



BY A. D. n. WOOD. 



I HAVE NOTICED at times there 

 has been complaint of queens be- 

 ing injured in transportation 

 through the mails, and I have often 

 wondered if it were really so, or if 

 they were not hurt in catching and 

 caging. 



Herewith pictures of my method of 

 catching, clippin.g and caging queens 

 for shipment. Figure 1 is the comb 

 having the queen. With scissors in 

 my left hand, I chase lier uphill, and 

 with my right 1 catch her by the wings 

 with my thumb and second finger. 

 My first finger got in a mixup with a 

 buzz-saw. Then placing the scissors 

 in a convenient place. I change the 

 queen to my left liand, taking her by 

 the head and shoulders between my 

 thumb, first and second fingers, leav- 

 ing her wings protruding out while 

 her body curls downward, thereby 

 making it very easy to clip either wing. 

 I usually clip the left one. (See Fig. 

 2.) I would advise using some other 

 device if you are at all nervous and 

 jerky in the fingers, as a little pinch will 

 easily indent the abdomen, making the 

 queen nearly, if not quite useless. I 



No, I.— Getting the Queen from Comb. 



No. 2.— Clipping the Queen's Wing. 



LEWIS BEEWARE MEANS 



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