1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



!)47 



CUCKOO-BEES. 



WILL WONDERS IN ENTOMOLOGY NEVER CEASE? 



fRIEND ROOT:— I have become very much in- 

 terested in these cuckoo-bees. I have sever- 

 al communications regarding' them, so that it 

 seems to me there can be no mistake in the 

 matter. Tho longest and most interesting 

 letter is from Mr. E. H. Collins, the intelligent and 

 wide-awake president of the Hamilton Co., Indiana, 

 Bee-keepers' Association. Mr. Collins states that, 

 at their May meeting, the matter was discussed at 

 length. Many complained of a small black bee rob- 

 bing in their apiaries. It was urged by all, that 

 closing the entrances of the hives did no good. 

 The bees seemed to make no effort to repel the in- 

 vaders. It was also urged, that the queens could 

 not be at fault, as the colonies were strong, and the 

 hives full of brood; yet the little bees pass into the 

 hives in a stream. Several confirmed these state- 

 ments, and insisted that these bees were not the 

 common black bees. The association voted that 

 their president investigate the matter. Mr. Collins 

 wrote to me, but, unfortunately, sent none of the 

 bees. You will remember my suggestion, that the 

 intruders were probably our common small black 

 wild bees— Andrasna— as I had often known of 

 their stealing into hives for honey. You, in an ap- 

 pended remark, suggested that they were robber- 

 bees that appeared small and bald, from the hard 

 usage that they had received. Mr. Collins report- 

 ed the above to the society at its next meeting, but 

 neither my explanation nor your suggestion seem- 

 ed to satisfy those most interested. An old expe- 

 rienced bee-keeper, but an uneducated man, said 

 the insect was not new, as he had seen it before, 

 and he was sure it was produced in the hive. He 

 had often seen it come forth from the cell. Mr. 

 Collins also writes that he is sure that these bees are 

 reared in the hives. At the August meeting of the 

 Society, held at Oran Maker's, Westfleld, Ind., this 

 old gentleman took some of the members to an 

 apiary; and though the bees were flying but little— 

 as the day was cold and unfavorable— still two of 

 the bees were caught. Mr. Collins says he sent 

 these bees to me. I regret to say that they never 

 reached me. It seems that several present at all 

 these meetings were familiar with the bees, and 

 some had hunted for them in the forests, but to no 

 purpose. Mr. Collins says he will promise to send 

 scores to me next summer, or even a whole colony 

 that is infested, if our station wishes to experi- 

 ment with them. 



You see, Mr. Editor, that these are almost cer- 

 tainly the same bees— species of the genus Apoth- 

 us— that Mr. Perry Moore sent me, and which I de- 

 scribed in brief in Gleanings, current volume, 

 page 811. The specimens sent by Mr. Moore are de- 

 nuded of their hair, so I can not surely identify the 

 species or send you a good drawing. Just as soon 

 as I can get a perfect specimen I will do both. This 

 is certainly a very interesting discovery; and as 

 several have requested it I will give a more com- 

 plete account of these bees. These bees are not 

 social, like the honey-bee, bumble-bee, carpenter- 

 bee, and yellow-jackets, but are solitary. Instead 

 of queens, workers, and drones, there are only 

 males and females. 



Owing to some peculiarity, perhaps that they are 

 reared in the hive, these bees are permitted to en- 

 ter the hives as freely as are the rightful owners. 



This possibly explains their occupancy of the hives, 

 and their undisturbed ingress and egress. Of 

 course, it would not explain the first entrance; but 

 it is easy to see how a sharp, wide-awake bee might 

 steal in and deposit a score or so of eggs in the 

 cells, even by a colony of Italians or Syrians. It 

 will be remembered, that Sir John Lubbock, in his 

 admirable book, " Bees, Ants, and Watps," states 

 that, if ants in the pupa state are taken from one 

 colony and given to another, they will be accept- 

 ed and reared, and then the mature form could be 

 returned to the parent nest with no harm; while if 

 an ant, reared throughout in colony No. 2, were giv- 

 en to colony No. 1, it would be dispatched at once. 

 We all know that young queens just from the cell 

 will be graciously received at all times, if introduc- 

 ed into another colony of bees. Thus we easily be- 

 lieve that the cuckoo-bees, reared in a colony of 

 honey-bees, would be considered as real children of 

 the bee-home, and always welcomed as such. 



I do not think these bees have ever been known 

 to " cousin " on the honey-bee before. How seri- 

 ous a matter it will become, will depend wholly up- 

 on how numerous they get in a hive. A hundred 

 or so would do no more harm than so many drones, 

 possibly not so much. If they are able to appear 

 in thousands, then it will be quite a different mat- 

 ter. Their winter habits will control this largely. 

 If they pass the winter in the hive with the bees, so 

 that all survive the winter, then we may well be 

 solicitous regarding the future mischief of these 

 bees. 1 am very desirous to work out the entire 

 problem, and shall be very grateful for specimens, 

 and also for any observations which others may 

 make. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



And so this insect really used the princi- 

 ple of the diving - bell, with an air- tube 

 reaching above the surface of the water, 

 ages and ages before mankind ever thought 

 of it ! 



A GLIMPSE AT OMAHA. 



A LETTER FROM MRS. JENNIE CULP WILLIAMSON. 



SEAR BROTHER:— After a silence of over two 

 years I shall venture to write you a few 

 lines, for my heart and sympathies are still 

 with the bee-brethren of Ohio, even if I am 

 away out here in " Newbraska." I do not 

 know much about that branch of industry here, but 

 the subject is. being talked up. Almost the first 

 call I return I found your ABC, with my home 

 and apiary in it, occupying a prominent place 

 among the young people's books. If you have ever 

 been a stranger in a strange land, you can imngine 

 with what pleasure 1 greeted it. 



It is too bad, Bro. Root, when you were return- 

 ing from California you did not stop off at the great 

 Gate City of the West, and see how they "run" 

 things here. One of the greatest items of interest 

 tome is the great number of churches; also our 

 Y. M. C. A., with a membership of nearlj 1.00 jouDg 

 men. 



Our city contains about 24 square miles, and it is 

 astonishing to see the miles of paved streets we 

 have in a city so young, and the rapidity with 

 which we can travel over it from one end to the 

 other with our cable and motor cars. Columbus, 

 O., seemed very tame to me this fall when I was 

 home on a visit. I spent a month at my old home 



