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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



They are so called because of the numerous veins 

 and cross-veins to their wings. Thus their wings 

 resemble gauze or lace. I hardly need say that 

 the dragon Hif s, or darning-needles— the bee-hawlis 

 of the South— and the day-flies, which often gather 

 about the street-lamps in our lake cities, like Tole- 

 do and Cleveland, belong to this great order. Many 

 of these insects, while larvse, live in the water and 

 feed on the small aquatic animals that keep them 

 company in their watery homes. Nearly all lace- 

 wings are predaceous, and feed wholly on other in- 

 sects, and 80 are to be classed among our beneficial 

 insects. 



The hellgrammite (corydalus cornutus) is our larg- 

 est lace-wing. It is four inches long and six inches 

 from tip to tip of wings when they are expanded. 

 The specific name, cornutus, comes from the jaws, 

 which are developed into two long horn-like organs 

 which strongly remind one of the tusks of the ele- 

 phant. The larvse is a long flat insect, with strong 

 jaws, and lives in the water. We often catch them 

 in the Cedar River, which flows through our college 

 farm. The Insect pupates under some board or 

 stone at the water's edge. I do not know the origin 

 of the common name, hellgrammite, but think the 

 alarming appearance of the fly and the larvte might 

 have suggested it. Terrible as the insect looks, it 

 is entirely harmless, and no one need fear it in the 

 least. 



ANOTHER HERMAPHRODITE. 



Mr. Timpe has sent me another hermaphrodite. 

 This one is really a drone, as it has the male organs. 

 Its head is really drone, though the antennfe, in 

 number of joints, are like those of the worker. 

 The legs on one side are like those of the drone, 

 while those on the other are like those of the work- 

 er. As I understand, this bee is from the same 

 queen as the other one sent a few days since. I 

 think this is a very interesting matter. I believe 

 there are some very interesting scientific inquiries 

 that these hermaphrodites may answer. I should 

 take it as a great favor if any bee-keeper who may 

 discover such bees would send them to me. I wish 

 to make a thorough study of the whole question. 



Agricultural College, Mich., July 3. A. J. Cook. 



EDITORS ANSWERING QUESTIONS, &c. 



CNNECESSARY AND FOOLISH QUESTIONS. 



The more care I devote to the perusal of your 

 papers (ABC and Gleanings), the more I feel 

 convinced that my last letter was even too weak in 

 regard to the honor due you as a writer and editor. 

 Your way of writing is exactly what most bee-keep- 

 ers need— plain, yet solid information— saying much 

 In few words. Oh how it amuses me to find, from 

 time to time, that some are questioning you on sub- 

 jects which you have so clearly answered long ago. 

 Good heavens! what patience an editor must have! 

 This reminds me of something that happened at 

 our late State Farmers' Institute, at Chrisney, Ind., 

 last February. I was asked to give a lecture on 

 the farmer's home. It was very well received. 

 The second day, a professor of Perdue University 

 had a very instructive lecture on crop rotation. 

 He spoke exceedingly well, with a voice clear and 

 well adapted to the locality. After the lecture was 

 given, the gentleman asked if any one among the 

 audience would like to ask some questions. A 

 bright looking man arose and asked, "Do I under- 



stand the speaker to say rhat we should plant wheat 

 every year on the same piece of grounds" Holy 

 Moses! I could have kicked myself . I said to my- 

 self, " If my lecture of last evening, on the farmer's 

 home, was as well understood as the lecture of 

 Prof. N. N. on crop rotation, then God help us." 



When— yes, when— will our people begin to study 

 and think just a little more than they do? Again 

 and again you are asked how bees should be han- 

 dled; how the frames must be spaced; how to 

 secure a good crop of honey, etc. Does it not re- 

 quire more than ordinary meekness to stand all 

 this? I can only admire men who possess such vir- 

 tue and act accordingly. 



the heavy top-bar a good thing. 



It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to find 

 that a heavy top-bar frame-is asked for by the fra- 

 ternity. I have used them since 1883; also a friend 

 of mine, Mr. J. B. Mueller, principal teacher at 

 Ferdinand, Ind., has used ^them since that time. 

 We used them alternately— one with a deep top-bar 

 and the next one a Simplicity frame with metal 

 corners. Sections can be placed on thick top-bar 

 frames without any sagging whatever. Bees will 

 place less wax on top of these frame-, even if no 

 quilt is used for a time. Yet I fear that all will not 

 hold good for what certain writers claim lor them. 

 Combs rest firmer in these frames, and wire is not 

 needed to keep the foundation in shape, or to keep 

 comb from breaking. Such frames are more dura- 

 ble and more stable, if placed in the hive. But an 

 active queen will get upstairs and have things all 

 her own way, as you say, in spite of these thick- 

 topped frames. Even to a third story will her maj- 

 esty ascend, and see that all her subjects are doing 

 their work. This is our experience. By all means, 

 staples should rest in either end of the frame, else 

 the proprietor will kill more bees than in handling 

 the thin-top-bar frame. This is not paying to any 

 one unless he cares to possess a good many sting- 

 less bees besides the dead ones. 



A DOUBLE-WALLED SIMPLICITY. 



I should like to draw your attention to a double- 

 sided Simplicity hive. Make a second hive that will 

 exactly cover the Simplicity hive, allowing only 

 tar-paper space. Nail or screw together, and you 

 have a hive next to a chaff hive. I consider this 

 the best hive, in very cold as well as in very hot 

 weather. I have the idea of this hive from one my 

 father, Hon. J. C. Stenger, used for 38 years. In all 

 these many years this same hive stands on a lime- 

 stone rock, and never have the bees suffered in 

 this hive. They swarm less from that hive; and in 

 regard to comb honey, it has been the "boss" for 

 38 years. These, certainly, are convincing facts in 

 favor of a double- walled Simplicity hive. Give 

 your opinion on this subject. 



the TOBACCO DEVIL MORE HARM THAN KING 

 ALCOHOL. 



In conclusion, I say this much to you: That in 

 fighting the tobacco devil you have a friend and 

 helper in the writer of these lines. Tobacco does 

 even more harm than the heavy drinks, and they do 

 harm enough in this world of ours. 



[Rev.] Stephen Stenger. 



St. Meinrads, Ind., June 34, 1890. 



Thanks, friend S., for your kind words. 

 But we do not have very many foolish ques- 

 tions—certainly none as bad as the one you 

 mention. It does, however, sometimes 

 seem positively awful to find how people 



