1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



291 



piercing succulent tissue. Now, while the 

 honey-bee may not puncture nectaries, it 

 certainly does pierce with the lacinise succu- 

 lent floral tissue. 



There are a number of plants which pro- 

 duce succulent tissue instead of nectar into 

 which bees and lepidoptera bore for sap. In 

 the common laburnum (Laburnum vulgare) 

 there is a round fleshy swelling at the base 

 of the standard (a large, upright, showy 

 petal well shown in the sweet-pea), which 

 bees and butterflies pierce for the abundant 

 sap. There are also several species of orchis 

 (O. morio, O. maeulata. etc.), in which Dar- 

 win, though he examined them repeatedly 

 under the most favorable conditions, was 

 never able to find "the smallest bead of nec- 

 tar." Sprengel called them "sham-nectar 

 l)roducers." But the inner membrane of 

 the flower-tube is a very delicate structure, 

 and beneath it there is a copious supply of 

 fluid. Mueller observed a honey-bee pierce 

 this tissue a number of times. "On .June 

 13, 1870, a hive-bee flew before my eyes into 

 a flower of O. latifolia. It pierced the inner 

 wall of the spur several times with the points 

 of its maxillie, and then flew away, bearing 

 the poUinia on its head to a flower of Lych- 

 nis flos-cuculi. I gathered the flower imme- 

 diately after the bee left it, and found the 

 punctures visible from the outside as small 

 bright elongated specks." 



The flowers are more frequently visited by 

 V)uml)le-bees, which also puncture the tissue. 

 •'It is certain." says Mueller again, "that 

 1 he bees i)ierced the delicate inner membrane 

 and sucked the included fluid. They doubt- 

 less ])ierced the tissue (juickly and easily 

 with the i)oints()f their maxilla^." Mueller's 

 observations are confirmed by those of Dar- 

 win. 



The ability of purely suctorial insects to 

 l)ierce ])lant tissues is much greater than is 

 generally suiii)osed. Darwin tells of a moth 

 in (Queensland. Australia, which with its 

 wonderful proboscis can bore through the 

 thick rind of an orange. At the Cape of 

 Good Hope the moths and butterflies are 

 said to do much injury to peaches and plums 

 by puncturing the unbroken skins. Dar- 

 win also observed a fly [Empis livida) pierce 

 the tissue of an orchis. The boring for sap 

 among insects, says Mueller, is much more 

 usual than was formerly supposed. 



I have examined a great number of per- 

 forations in flowers belonging to various 

 species, and would divide them into two 

 classes — those made by the mandibles, and 

 those made by the lacinise of bees. When 

 the nectary is larger, as in the columbine, 

 two small holes will often be found side by 

 side, made, I believe, by the i)inching of the 

 mandibles together, unless each lacinia is 

 capable of making an independent hole. 

 But when the nectary is smaller and linear, 

 as in the touch-me-not, there will be found 

 a narrow slit made by the ends of the max- 

 illye. Very likely these latter organs are al- 

 so used on the larger nectaries also. During 

 the coming summer T hope to determine the 

 exact behavior of both l)umble-))eesand hon- 



ey-bees in regard to puncturing the nectaries 

 of the scarlet runner. It would seem as 

 though bumble-bees, being the stronger in- 

 sects, especially the queens, make the holes, 

 and that the weaker workers of the honey- 

 bee observe and make use of them. 

 Waldoboro, Me., April 6. 



SWARMING CONTROLLED BY REMOVING 

 BROOD. 



BY LEO E. GATELY. 



While it is by no means impossible dur- 

 ing a good year to double a given number of 

 colonies, and at the same time obtain an un- 

 diminished amount of surplus honey, many 

 wish to avoid increase, and in all large api- 

 aries it is necessary to control the tendency 

 of the bees to swarm. 



By keeping the force of colonies intact 

 throughout the season, it is not infrequent- 

 ly supposed that they can be kept in ideal 

 condition for working in section supers. 

 Not only is such a supposition only partial- 

 ly true, "but to prevent such from swarming, 

 it is at the last usually necessary to deprive 

 them of all or most of their brood by shak- 

 ing or otherwise. 



There are methods whereby, with small 

 labor and without so much as ever seeing a 

 queen, swarming can be readily kept under 

 perfect control. 



Two or three weeks before the flow, or 

 sooner if there is danger of swarming, a third 

 section, filled with sheets of foundation, is 

 l)laced lietween the two divisions of my 

 brood-chambers. A week later the bees are 

 smoked out of the ui)])er brood-section, and 

 it is replaced by a super. In another week 

 the lower section is removed, and replaced 

 by one containing foundation or empty 

 combs. If needed, a second super can at 

 this time be inserted. 



Any plan that rids the hives of all brood 

 kills "swarming as ert'ectually as though it 

 had occurred naturally. As described above, 

 it is taken so gradually that the bees do not 

 become dissatisfied and sulk, and there is 

 left at all times sufficient young larvte to 

 prevent swarming out, as frequently hap- 

 pens with shaken swarms. 



With deep frames, as soon as the hive is 

 filled with bees, a second story, usually con- 

 sisting of one or two sections of my divisible 

 hive, according to the strength of the colo- 

 ny, is placed above. Immediately upon the 

 occupancy of this second story by the queen 

 it is removed to a new stand, and the old 

 brood-nest supplied with a rijie cell. 



The return of old bees from the hive placed 

 ui)on the new stand so depletes its force that 

 all danger of its swarming is removed should 

 it be kei)t for increase. Now, by placing 

 an excluder under the second story ten days 

 previous to making the division, the old 

 brood-nest is absolutely prevented from 

 swarming, as by that time there will be no 

 larvip left of a suitable age for starting cells. 

 Usually, however, such precautions are un- 



