660 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Sept. 



to call attention to the fact, that, if you want to 

 make sure of her laying I'ight on, you must give 

 her one frame of brood as encoui-agement. 

 Possibly bees do not always act as mine did, but 

 I suspect they generally do. 



GETTING UEKS TO EMI'TY SECTIONS. 



On page 038, E. D. Howell asks how to get 

 the bees to carry tli(> honey from partly tilled 

 sections to the body of the hive when theV need 

 it for winter stores. If they need it for ^\inter 

 stores they will carry it do\\n if the sections are 

 left on the hive: but sometinu'S they make vei'v 

 slow work of it. To hasten mattei-s, if vour 

 hives admit of it put the super of sections under 

 the hive. If the w(jrk doesn't then go fast 

 enough, put the super of sections on the stand, 

 on top of it an empty super, and on top of this 

 the hive. Look out for robbing. Leave no en- 

 trance at the bottom of the supei; and, if 

 necessary, contract the entrance in some way. 

 If robbers are troublesome, make the change in 

 the evening. If you merely want the sections 

 cleaned, without caring what colonies get the 

 honey, put several supers in a jMle awav from 

 the hives, covering up secui'elv. leavlnq nxnn 

 for rml]i one bee to enter <it <i time. 



Marengo. 111. ('. c. Miei.ei!. 



It must be, friend M.. that our pan is different 

 from yoiu-s. When we tirst began making solar 

 extractors we made the sides perpendicular: 

 but friend Green \\'i'ote us that we ought to 

 make them sloping, so the blocks of wax would 

 drop out when the i)an was inverted, and we 

 have since done so. It is possible that you have 

 one of our first extractors; and in that case the 

 wax might not come out without melting. As 

 the wax comes from our solar extractors, it 

 is a nice clear yellow, and would be entir(>ly tit 

 foi- market were it not foi- its shape. But, about 

 that propolis, it must be that you have more 

 than we.— Yes, I think there is danger of can-y- 

 ing close spacing too fai': but instead of having 

 frames further apart, why not use fixed dis- 

 tances, and then the bottoms of the frames will 

 be spaced as accurately as the tops? It would 

 have done you good to see some nice combs at 

 Elwood's and other i)laces where they us(> fixed 

 distances. E n 



BI-SULPEIDE OF CARBON FOE WAX-LARVJE. 



rsEFUI, ITEMS FROM I'lIOF. COOK. 



Can you inform me, through ti leanings as 

 to the advisability of using bi-sulphide of car- 

 bon tor destroying the wax-worms in emptv 

 combs? Is it safe to use it for the same pur- 

 pose with comb honev? Sulphur I dislike to 

 use with comb honey, as it is so easv to use too 

 much and injure the color and flavor. 



„ .^ ,^ Aktiiik C. Miei,ei!. 



Providence, R. I.. Aug. 27. 



Prof. Cook replies: 



In reply to Arthur C. Miller. Providence. 

 K. I., regarding the use of bi-sulphide of carbon 

 to destroy the bee-moth larvit, I can say unhes- 

 itatingly that it will kill them. and. unless turn- 

 ed on the comi), could liann nothing. It might 

 dissolve the combs if turned on them, hut would 

 not harm them otherwise. If the c(jmbs are 

 put into a tight box or barrel, the liquid turned 

 in. It could be turned against the side of tlu' 

 box or barrel, so as lujt to touch the combs, and 

 the box at once covered tightly by the use of 



oil cloth or other close fabric, the insects will 

 speedily succumb. In case of comb honey it 

 would be entirely safe if used in the same way. 

 I do not suppose it would do any harm to turn 

 it on to the combs. I will at once try it and re- 

 port. The only danger in the use of this liquid 

 is its explosive character. Of course, safety 

 demands caution that no fire be brought near. 

 The vapor is very inflammable, and, when mixwl 

 with the air. quite explosive, so we must keei> 

 all t\vt\ like lighted matches, cigars, etc., away 

 till the vapors have escapcni. The odor is so 

 marked that it is easy to tell when it has all es- 

 caped. This volatilizes so entirely that we can 

 turn it on fiour and no harm will follow. It 

 passes wholly off'. Bought at wholesale it is 

 very cheaj). and I S(>e no reason why it may not 

 be used very satisfactorily by the b(ie-keeper. 



the TEXAS C'OW-KIEEEK. 



W. O. Victor, Wharton. Tex., sends a cow- 

 killer. This is illustrated in my Kee-Kecpers' 

 Guide, and has been frequently described in 

 Gleanings. It looks like an ant. except it is 

 hairy, and is a rich carmine red, bounded with 

 black. It is wingless, though a female, hence 

 the generic nann*. MutUUi. It has a very pow- 

 erful sting, as Mr. V. says he knows' from 

 ('Xi)erience. Will h<' tell us how its sting com- 

 Ijaics with that of the bee? I suppose it is mucii 

 more painful. The insect is a fine one. though 

 badly crush(^d in the mail. If put in a box or 

 hollow stick with cotton it would have come in 

 good shape. It is not found north. 



THE GKAPE SPHINX AND ITS PAKASITE. 



INIrs. ,1. 11. Peatty. Massilloii. O.. retiuests me 

 to explain llie relation between a large green 

 caterpillar found on "ivy" — doubtless Virginia 

 creeper — that grows on her porch, and several 

 white egg-shaped masses which stand side by 

 side on its back. Tiiese large, fine, green larva^ 

 develop intf) a liandsome moth, the grape 

 si)hinx. This so-called worm resembles in form 

 and color the "tomato sphinx" larva, with 

 which all are familial'. This larva is lighter 

 green: the caudal horn is green instead of 

 black: the spots marking the spiracles or breath- 

 ing-mouths along the side of the body are much 

 more obscure: and iiist(>ad of several oblique 

 yello\\ish striiK's along the sides there is a near- 

 ly white stripe. These larvie are very common 

 this year, both on the ampelopsis — Virginia 

 creeper — and also on the grai)e. I think Bertie 

 has had nearly twenty of these in a breeding- 

 cage on our porch during the i)ast U'W weeks. 

 Indeed, did not nature lay a heavy hand on 

 these larvie they would make sorry work witii 

 tlui plants whicli they infest. 



Now to answer Mrs. B."s tiuestion regarding 

 the egg-shaped bodies on the back of this sphinx 

 caterpillar: These are the cocoons of minute 

 braconid fii(>s — Ai)(intelej< rtnujreiidtKs. Say. 

 These little flies lay their eggs'in'the sphinx 

 larva?. The minute i)arasites which hatcli from 

 these eggs feast on the caterpilar as it feasts on 

 the grape or ampelopsis leaves. With so many 

 little mouths feeding on its vitals, who can 

 doubt but this larva is a believer in "internal 

 improvement"? The braconid larvio kill the 

 sphinx larviB, save our vines for us. and coined 

 forth to spin their cocoons on the back of their 

 victim. Thus he bears about on his back his 

 own destroy(»rs. and the parents of other i)ara- 

 sites that will do a like good work in the future. 



Wln'u the box arrived, the little flies had come 

 forth from the cocoons, much as a queen-bee 

 comes from the cell. It is to b(> hopc^d that Mrs. 

 B. and the children of many bee-keepers will 

 l)ut these larva^ in glass cans with cloth tied on 

 for a cover. P'eed them grape leaves, and so 

 rear the i)arasites or the beautiful moths. The 

 moths will not come forth from the pupa 



