232 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



July 



the gardener to plant a locust tree at 

 one entrance, and a New Zealand red 

 gum, an equally attractive bee food, at 

 the other ? No doubt the carpenter 

 bee, a black zeppelin-like creature, was 

 the original cause of my bees falling 

 into such disfavor, for so avidly did the 

 wild creatures work on the locust 

 bloom that my Italians were completely 

 outnumbered, and the daily encounters 

 of the two species only terrified my 

 neighbor the more. 



But we were unable to help him. He 

 refused to learn bee language and gov- 

 ern himself thereby. For example, 

 when the bees dart from flower to 

 flower with loud impatient buzzings, 

 one acquainted with the bee vocabulary 

 would know that they fly away empty 

 handed or, more properly speaking, 

 with empty stomachs, to the hive again. 

 Under those circumstances it is well to 



psychology of these funny little people! 

 If only I might be allowed to explain 

 matters to him ! But that is impossible. 

 I never see him. Of late, the chauffeur 

 drives him down thegulch road, where- 

 upon he alights and ascends a winding 

 stairway cut in the steep hillside and, 

 protected from my bees by wildwoods, 

 enters his home by a rear door, and 

 barricades himself. 



Queen Introduction 



BY C. D. CHENEY. 



THE recent review of queen intro- 

 ducing methods by Dr. Miller 

 suggests an observation or two 

 upon the two principles of present day 

 methods. If all the methods named or 

 known are analyzed, it will be found 

 that by any method the bees' attention 



is either diverted or distracted, and 

 success depends upon how thoroughly 

 this is accomplished. 



We can estimate the ethics of the 

 case only by comparing the effect upon 

 the bees with our own emotions under 

 similar conditions. When a salesman 

 approaches a prospective customer he 

 endeavors to be as agreeable, cheerful 

 and sociable as can be in order to put 

 his customer into the best humor possi- 

 ble for receiving what he has to offer. 

 He watches carefully, and introduces 

 his business only when he feels that his 

 customer has been favorably impressed 

 and is in the right humor to accept his 

 proposition. This may be termed the 

 "diversion" method of introducing — 

 business, and is universally practiced. 

 Can any one describe, or imagine, a 

 distractive method which would stand 

 a ghost of a chance ? 



Adhering to our comparison, why 

 should the accepted human method be 

 entirely ignored and reversed when we 

 essay to deal with our bees which are 

 infinitely more sensitive to external 

 impressions ? 



This may be taken as an argument in 

 favor of " diversion " methods for intro- 

 ducing queens, for which I think no 

 apology is needed. 



May I be permitted to add as my firm 

 belief that the " Sousin " method, every- 

 thing considered, is the best of the 

 diversion methods. 



New Jersey. 



A WISTl'.RIA TRIMMICD OUTHOUSE 



The Different Races 



BY E. F. ATWATER. 



WHEN we first located in Idaho, 

 some 16 years ago, the bees 

 for many miles in every direc- 

 tion were as pure Italians as can be 

 found with very few exceptions, and 

 this in spite of the fact that no attention 

 had ever been paid to keeping them 

 true to type. Certainly there had been 

 no reversion to the black type, as often 

 claimed by eastern beekeepers when 

 the race is not constantly kept up by 

 careful selection. No doubt such re- 



be on guard, especially when they come 

 straight at you, with ears laid back 

 and teeth showing, as though you were 

 to blame for their disappointment. It 

 is then that inconspicuousness is the 

 better part of valor. 



On the other hand, when the sun is 

 coaxing the nectar from the hearts of 

 the flowers, the bees are too busy for 

 quarreling. They come whizzing past, 

 full of business and honey, with an im- 

 portant get-out of-theway quick hum- 

 ming, at once joyous and commanding, 

 that no one dreams of questioning. All 

 they ask is the undisputed right-of-way 

 back to the hive-stands. But my 

 neighbor does not seem to get their 

 point of view. He takes the position 

 which, if put in words, would be, 

 "These are my premises. I got here 

 first. I'm established. You can't drive 

 me away !" and proceeds to prove his 

 rights by dashing through the pergola 

 to the house, coat tails straightening 

 in his flight, and madly fanning the air 

 with a tall silk hat, which exposes a 

 spot at once vulnerable and convenient 

 for attack. Naturally any bee with a 

 sense of humor would give chase; and 

 ours are jolly bees. 



If only my neighbor understood the 







L: t: ':Mc-'. 't'.i^.' 



MY APIARY IN THE GULCH BELOW 



