744 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



While looking through the microscope at the nar- 

 row neck, as it were, connecting the two parts of 

 the leg, it occurred to me that it was around this 

 same narrow neck that the bee, when clustering, 

 threw his two little hooks or claws. These hooks, or 

 claws, resemble somewhat the talons of a hawk or 

 an eagle, and I may in a future number give you a 

 drawing of the bee's foot. It is easy, then, to con- 

 ceive that when a bee's foot has grasped hold of this 

 neck, just as you w(mld inclose it with your thumb 

 and finger, his foot will be securely locked fast, if 

 the other bee close this jaw by straightening out 

 his foot. Feeling assured that the bees oughtto link 

 together in this fashion, I went out into the apiary 

 to see if it were true. 1 was not surprised to find 

 that such was actually the case. The apiarist and I 

 examined a number of clusters of bees, and in 

 almost every case we found, when linked together, 

 the fore feet of one bee fastened firmly to the hind- 

 leg joints of another bee. We then strung a lot of 

 bees together in the form of a chain. The result 

 was, that one bee, when linked in the manner de- 

 scribed, would hold a hundred or more of his com- 

 panions, seemingly, too, without any efl'ort. To 

 test the matter still further, I picked a bee up by 

 the wings and allowed him to gi-asp hold of another 

 tiee. My object in this was to see whei-e, if given 

 the prefei-ence, he would catch hold. Kunuing his 

 lore legs down the hind legs of his companion, he 

 grasped hold of this particular joint, and seemed 

 to say, "Now pull me oil' if you can." We tried 

 this e.\'perimentanumbcrof times, with like results, 

 and at times it did seem as if the legs of the little 

 fellows would break, so securely were they locked. 

 I have since been out to the ai)iari-, this time using 

 a magnifying -glass, and I now feel fully satisfied 

 with the results. It' is known to be a tact, that a 

 few bees around a limb will hold as many as six or 

 eight pounds in a swarm. Not only that, but the 

 bees will sustain this enormous weight sometimes 

 over night, and even much longer if necessary- 

 Unless nature had wisely made such iJrovision as 

 this ingenious little vise it would be impossible for 

 so few bees to hold such a weight. 



Perhaiis 1 should mention, in this connection, be- 

 fore leaving the subject, that bees do not always 

 lock together as I have described. When the strain 

 is not great, and the bees few, it often becomes 

 necessary for them to grasp hold of any portion of 

 their comrades that seems most accessible. In 

 such cases they may be holding to eacli other by 

 their claws; but if I am correct, tliey iicvci' use 

 thoir^mandibles in holding to each other. 



When favtn-ablc opportunity presents .von will be 

 amply repaid in observing how ingenious this 

 (•<-)ntrivance of nature is. Get the juveniles started, 

 and possibly they may add some hints. I shall also 

 be glad of kindly criticisms, and any suggestions 

 that Prof. Cook may feel disposed to give. I'have 

 scanned his book quite carefully, but find no men- 

 tion of this particular feature in the hind leg; 

 though he suggests that the tlutc in the bees' fore 

 leg may answer for holding on when clustering. 



EUNKST 1{. KOOT. 



p. S.— Father has suggest <(1 that the bee may put 

 his whole foot, or, what Prof. Cook calls the Ta/'si, 

 in the jaw, and that the claws grasp hold of the 

 spurs or hairs. There are three little joints in the 

 tarsi, forming little links, whieli are conical in 

 shppc. Tbis, seemingly, would.ftfford a good oppor- 

 tunity for a strong connection M'hen the jaw closes 



over it, and the bee may do so on occasion, but I 

 feel pi-etty well satisfied that they prefer to grasp 

 the little neck referred to above. E. K. K. 



FROM DIFFERENT FIELDI 



FRO.M 1.5 TO 29, AND ONLY 100 I>BS. OV HONEV. 



J^ SEND in ray report up to-date; viz., 1.5 colonics, 

 r spring count. From them I increased ten 

 i' by natural swarms, three by artificial swarm- 

 ■ ing, one by building up from a two-frame nu- 

 cleus started in May last, making at this date 

 ;.'9 strong colonies, as far as bees arc concerned, but 

 not in honey, but self-sustaining. From the '29 I re- 

 ceived only 119 one-pound sections, some not full, 

 making 100 lbs. of honey up to date— the poorest 

 yield I ever had, and not a very good prospect for a 

 good fall tlow of honey. IJut 1 am not out of heart, 

 and not out of pocket, for my bees always pay for 

 all the expense I put upon them, even if I do not 

 get a flow of houey. 



TWIN gUEEXS. 



Have you ever heard of twin (jueeiis. or two 

 queens in one cell':' I never have, but I saw such 

 in one of my hives last .Tune. I wished to raise 

 some (jueens for my own use, so I removed a queen 

 from one of my hybrid colonies; after nine days I 

 removed all the queen-cells, and gave them a small 

 sti-ip of comb with eggs. They foi-med four queen- 

 cells on one side of the comb, and two on the other, 

 with one very large one which attracted my atten- 

 tion, so I cut into the cell and found two queens. 

 The cell was single, except a small strip at the bot- 

 tom. I wished afterward, I had put the cell in 

 some other hive. The queens were not fast together. 

 I suppose you will say I was mistaken: but I say I 

 am not, for 1 had both queens in my hand at the 

 same time. .Iosiah Eastbihn. 



Fallsington, Bucks Co., Pa., Aug. 19, 1885. 



I do not know that I ever before heard of 

 two queens in one queen-cell, friend E.; but 

 I can readily imagine that two larv:e might 

 by accident grow up side by sid<'. 



I HorSK Al'IAIIV, HOW TO COXSTKfCT; KIUEMi 

 I HO.XIE S I'l^AN. 



j I will give you a descri])tion of a house apiary 

 I which I have had in use about three months, and 

 ! am so far well pleased with. It is 12x21: ft., 8 ft. high. 

 I boarded \\\) and down with patent siding running 

 up through the roof-boards, making it beetight. I 

 have doors in each end alike. First a door witli two 

 large i>anes of jilass which swing inward, then a 

 screen-door, same size, which opens outward, with 

 hinges that hold them shut or open. Outside of 

 this a batten door made of i)atcnt siding, Avhicli 

 .«huts under the door cap, and wide and long 

 I enough to protect the others from rain or snow. 

 1 M.v hives stand on the floor, and are Simplicit.v 

 j hives without bottom - boards. The entrance 

 I tiirough the side of the house is the same size and 

 i shape as the hive, witii the alighting boarcl nailed 

 to the house outsidi'. My hives stand I'cmr inches 

 back from the wall. Over this passageway I have 

 tin, bent and tacked to the lloor. My hives occupy 

 a space of two feet. My plan for wintering is t(J 

 fix the inside of the hives in the usual way the Sim- 

 plicity hives are fixed, and then put up boards back 

 of the hives and fill in with dry leaves. I do not 

 l?now but tl)e gljiss (joors might bo left out. I have 



