1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



5S7 



ARE THEY ONLY OLD WORN-OUT BEES. OR ARE 

 THEY SOMETHING WORSE ? 



I mail you to-day some bees for microscopical ex- 

 amination, all dead in one hole, and alive in anoth- 

 er. Our bees are dying- by the thousands, and I 

 have heard from 3 other bee-yards affected in the 

 same way. It seems to affect the field bees most, 

 judging from the fact of the wings of the dead and 

 dying being ragged, and no dead bees are in the 

 hives; drones are also suffering. The symptoms 

 are a general languor, stupid dullness— in fact, 

 they act drunk. When caught they seem to be un- 

 able to see, for they keep rubbing their eyes; and 

 after a time, if the sun is shining, they will fly off. 

 The honey-sac seems in all cases to be empty. 

 They do not seem to die at once, but linger; and I 

 am inclined to think in many cases they recover. 

 They are scattered all over the yard among the 

 grass, much the same as young bees after a swarm 

 has issued. There is no tremble or shake to their 

 actions, more than to chilled bees. All colonies 

 seem to be affected. Clover is in bloom, and some 

 sumac. C. A. Hatch. 



Ithaca, Wis., June 28, 1889. 



Luti r.— Bees are not dying as much now as they 

 were, with that peculiar trouble. C. A. H. 



Ithaca, Wis., July 4, 1889. 



We are having a good deal the same state 

 of affairs in onr apiary just now ; but I am 

 inclined to think that it is nothing more 

 than the fact that a large number of old 

 bees have failed because their wings are 

 worn out at about the same time. Another 

 thing, I am pretty certain that the unusual 

 amount of wet weather we have had for two 

 months past has been unusually severe on 

 the wings of our little friends. They came 

 so near starving in .June that they often 

 ventured out between showers so much as 

 to get their gauzy wings repeatedly saturat- 

 ed with rain. This would be quite apt to 

 render the wings less durable. 



ed the horse, causing it to bolt. After galloping 

 for some distance the horse fell, and fractured its 

 foreleg. The bees swarmed upon it, and soon 

 stung it to death. So dense and vicious was the 

 swarm of bees that the traffic on the road was sus- 

 pended for a considerable time. 



The facts may be exaggerated, but it will 

 serve as a warning. 



OWED TO P. BENSON. 



I hav jist writ the followin' owed to P. Benson, 

 wich I sen' fur publerkashun; to wit, viz : 

 When ere I tuk my Gleanings down 

 And got the " small fry " huddled round 



Ter listen while I red, 

 The fust peace that must greete hour eye— 

 Thur picturs, splained to each one bye. 

 Was what P. Benson sed. 



P. has writ you menny er line. 

 An off his 'umor, we opine, 



Has hit our funny box; 

 And that his poem on ther fly 

 Jist tickled till we'd almost cry. 



You may jist bet yer socks. 



And P.'s a genus, that he is; 



An' when you git er rhyme of his, 



Jist send the lines to me. 

 Of all the orthors that I mete, 

 None else has got the same concete 



That 'umors with a bee. 



An' doubtless P. spins from afar 



His tails of myrth, with naught ter mar 



His pleasant fancies fly; 

 And if ermongst the bees he thrid, 

 And they shud chide, you well mite bid 



P. Benson a good-by. 



18 IT true ? 



While lying in the hospital here, I came across an 

 item in the St. Louis Rrpnhltc, of June 8, which I 

 thought would interest you. I have clipped it out, 

 and inclose it in this letter for you. I know noth- 

 ing about the truth of the item. E. Hostetler. 



St. Louis, Mo., June 10, 1889. 



The item referred to is as follows : 



STUNG TO DEATH BY BEES. 



Henry Wright, a farmer, living near Maud, in 

 this county, was stung to death by bees at his home 

 to-day. He had just started to this city, and was 

 coming over a stile when the bees attacked him 

 with the above result. 



Shelbina, Mo., June 7. 



Can not some one among our subscribers in 

 the vicinity of Shelbina tell us whether the 

 clipping is true ? 



A HORSE STUNG TO DEATH. 



One of our subscribers from Australia, J. 

 F. Johnson, Kyneton, Victoria, sends us 

 the following clipping, taken from the Mel- 

 bourne Argus : 



EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT NEAR BRISBANE ; A 

 HORSE STUNG TO DEATH BY BEES. 



An extraordinary accident occurred yesterday 

 afternoon. A man was driving along the Bayswa- 

 ter-road, in the suburbs of Brisbane, in a spring- 

 cart, with a number of hives of bees, when by some 

 means be upset one of the hives. The bees attacl?- 



THE HOME RUN. 



For doubtless then tru 'umor'st flud 

 Its instant vent not thro ther mind. 



Nor by ther pens parade. 

 But P. would personate the fun, 

 And surely make a good home run 



Without a poet's ade. 



Charlie Ryan, The Orange Pact. 



BEES AND FRUIT ; A FRUIT-GROWER MAKES 

 CHARGES AGAINST THE BEE. 



There seems to be quite a prejudice in these parts 

 against the honey-bees. See article published in 

 the Farm and Home, of Springfield, Mass., June 15, 

 which I inclose. O. F. AnGell. 



The Dalles. Ore., June 24, 1889. 



bees sometimes injure fruit 



I see that the statement of the experiments of 

 N. W. McLain, of Aurora, III., with honey-bees, is 

 going the rounds of the papers as conclusive evi- 

 dence tljat, bees do not puncture grapes. As an ob.. 



