716 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1. 



Yesterday I shot another of these birds, and 

 found five stings attached to the stomach lin- 

 ing; but one that I shot to-day had no fewer 

 than 37 stings imbedded in its stomach, and 

 also one sting with its poison-sac attached, 

 sticking in its throat just at the root of the 

 tongue; it, however, was attached so slightly 

 that I think the bird would very soon have 

 succeeded in swallowing it. None of the stings 

 in the stomach had the poison -sac attached; 

 but the stings, being less digestible, had evi- 

 dently resisted the process, and I'm sure that 

 many of them had been in the stomach for a 

 day or two, and certainly long after all trace of 

 the rest of the bees had left the stomach. 



We have one or two other species of birds 

 that have recourse occasionally to a bee diet. 

 The martins are wicked depredators in this 

 respect; but their visits are so rare, and they 

 are so easily decimated, from their habit of 

 perching together in a row, that they don't 

 give much trouble. In 1889 I also noticed our 

 common magpies at the entrance of the hives, 

 most unceremoniously gobbling up bees by the 

 score; but since then, although they are here 

 in large numbers, they have not interfered in 

 the least. I now intend to shoot a number of 

 these birds some distance from the apiary, and 

 examine every one; for I have a suspicion that 

 they may be regaling themselves at my expense 

 on the distant flower-laden tree-tops. 



H. L. Jones. 



Goodna, Queensland, Australia, July 31. 



[A diet of beefsteak is a boon to the sick, but 

 a diet of bee-stings— 1 beg to be excused. It is 

 a wonder that the stings do not kill the little 

 fiends. I formerly supposed that they succeed- 

 ed in crushing the bee before it could protrude 

 its sting.— Ed.] 



A "good one" on dr. miller. 

 Referring to your discussions with Dr. Miller, 

 in Stray Straws, Sept. 1, about " separating the 

 sections from the wood," etc., the doctor evi- 

 dently has that peculiarity of expressing him- 

 self or of construing language; for he gives 

 himself away in the very next straw, thus: "I 

 went straight and put a pan of salt in the wa- 

 ter." Now, any reasonable person knows that 

 tin will not purify water; neither did Glean- 

 ings claim that it would; neither do I suppose 

 that Dr. Miller tried any such thing. I only 

 suppose that he emptied the pan out of the tin. 

 However, the doctor has got the advantage of 

 us, for he has got Incorporated into the Eng- 

 lish language through the Funk & Wagnalls 

 Standard Dictionary, definition No. 7, for "sec- 

 tion," making it "the little frame put into a 

 hive for storing surplus honey, in which frame 

 it is also marketed; also the hooey which is in 

 the section." Thus he has us down. The au- 

 thority of Dr. Miller, writer of Straws, we may 

 question^ but the authority of Dr. Miller, writ- 

 er of definitions in the Standard Dictionary, we 

 may not question, whether we would or not. 



Referring to your article about drawn comb 

 for sections, and your prediction that a founda- 

 tion with X to }'2 inch depth of cell will soon be 

 produced-— also with reference to what Bal-' 

 dridge says in comment in A. B. J. for Sept. 1, 

 when such comb (or foundation) has been pro- 

 duced will you withdraw your protest to the 

 "Wiley lie" about artificial comb, artificially 

 filled, etc.? That would be a long stop toward 

 it. A. Norton. 



Monterey, Cal., Sept. 11. 



[When the new comb shall be produced it 

 will not be necessary to withdraw our protest 

 or fight, rather, against the "Wiley lie," be- 

 cause there is a " heap o' difference " between 

 empty drawn comb and artificial comb honey 

 filled with glucose and capped over with ap- 

 propriate machini^ry, such a product so perfect 

 that it can not be told from the genuine. To 

 make foundation with full-depth cells is one 

 thing, and to fill it with glucose and cap it over 

 as perfect as the bee is quite another.— Ed.] 



bee-escapes, veils, smokers, etc. 



By all means, use bee-escapes to take off 

 supers; if all those who do not use them would 

 try a few they would soon be convinced that 

 they are one of the greatest helps in the apiary. 



Always have a bee-veil ready to use in less 

 than a minute's notice. Although I hardly 

 ever use one, there are instances when I need 

 one very much, and in some cases it is almost 

 indispensable. 



A good reliable smoker is also a most neces- 

 sary tool to have on hand. The right use at 

 the right time with the right fuel makes all the 

 difference between the crossest and the most 

 gentle bees; between obstinate and submissive 

 ones. I am favored with a physical constitu- 

 tion that is very little affected by stings; and I 

 wonder sometimes, when reading these reports 

 in Gleanings, how different individuals can 

 be so completely overcome by a few stings. I 

 can not say that I like bee-stings or that I did 

 not use all reasonable precautions to keep from 

 being stung; but if I can not prevent it, I smile 

 at the inevitable; a little unpleasant burning 

 sensation for a few minutes is all I suffer unless 

 ears or eyelids are the recipients of these love- 

 taps, and even then it has no lasting effect. 

 When working in the apiary right along, there 

 are days that I do not receive a single sting I 

 know of; and, again, at other times, more days 

 pass that I would consider very quiet days if I 

 did not receive from ten to fifteen or more 

 stings a day. 



A tripod, suggested by F. Greiner, is a handy 

 device in the apiary to temporarily hang up 

 swarms in the hiving-box. It can be set wher- 

 ever it is needed. I use one made of three 

 bean-poles, fastened together at the top, and 

 three braces nailed six inches lower around 

 them. These latter serve to give the necessary 

 strength, and at the same time furnish places 

 to hang the bo-x. 



