1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



669 



THE DIGGER-WASH. 



The larg'e wasp sent bs' one of your customers— 

 you did not mention tlie locality, for wliich I am 

 sorry— is the luindsome "digg-er" wasp, Stiztia spcvi- 

 osu)<. I have received it from Kentuelvy, Tennes- 

 see, Southern Indiana, and Southern Illinois. There 

 is another, still larg-er, found in the Southern States 

 —Stizii'^ (jiaiidis. These wasps are black, or dark- 

 colored, marked with handsome yellow spots on 

 the abdomen. The thorax is brown. 



This one sent has been known before to capture 

 the cicada— usually, but incorrectly, called locust. 

 1 presume the insect captured in this case was a 

 cicada, or harvest-tiy. The tji'ue locusts are srass- 

 hoppei'S, and so, of course, belong- to quite another 

 order of insects. These wasps are called digger 

 wasps, as they dig holes in the earth, where they 

 place their prey, after which they lay an egg in the 

 captured insect, when they proceed to cover all 

 with earth. A still more interesting fact is yet to 

 be told. , The wasp is armed with a powerful sting. 

 By aid of this .she is able to paralyze large insects 

 like our largest spiders, cUdda', etc. Thus the prey 

 of these wasps is simply stunned, and not killed, 

 and so the young of the wasp, when the egg hatches, 

 has right at its command fresh tender insect-steak, 

 and has only to eat and grow fat. I doubt if these 

 wasps ever do apiarists any serious harm. They 

 are not sutticiently common. In Europe, however, 

 similar wasps are a serious annoyance to bee-keep- 

 ers. A. J. Cook. 

 Agricultural College, Mich. 



You have before told us something about 

 this wasp that has the knaclv of putting 

 away his fresh meat so it does not spoil — 

 that is. paralyzing them by stinging so the 

 victim will keep many days or even weeks 

 in a state neither dead nor alive. Perhaps 

 we might call it hibernation, only they nev- 

 er come out of it. Now. here is an interest- 

 ing question for naturalists : How long may 

 these insects be kept in this comatose state, 

 induced by the stinging of tliis peculiar wasp? 



A NAP BEFORE DINNER. 



.MKS. L. HARRISON GIVES TS HER E.YPEKIENCE IN 

 REG.-VRD TO THE MATTER. 



J^S| KO. ROOT:— Ive always thought you had a 

 ^i mistaken idea with reference to work— 

 Iti "clear over the horse" on that sub.iect, and 

 ^^ isn't that the. cause why you are suffering 

 with nervous prostration;' Is there any rea- 

 son why a person should toil from early morn till 

 dewy eve, without any restV I know women who 

 always have '• catch-up. work," and never allow 

 themselves an idle moment; but the ma.ior part of 

 them are nervous, and very fretful and unhappy at 

 times. My mother worked every wakeful moment, 

 and taught me to do the same: but when I saw her 

 old at fifty, and in her grave twenty years before 

 her brothers her seniors, ] made up my mind that 

 henceforth I would rest when tired. 1 have arisen 

 at five in the morninji', and worked \ery hard until 

 eleven, and then left ofl' and had a nap and an 

 hour's rest before T ate my dinner: then 1 was aide 

 to do another half-day's work. If I could not get 

 this rest I was good for nothing the rest of the day. 

 .\n after-dinner nap didn't refresh me as the 

 former. I've always thought that that hour's rest 

 was worth more to my family than any other. Since 



I've been keeping bees, I can not command this 

 rest-hour, as the bees will not i-espect it at all; but 

 I make up for it, as well as I can, by retiring earlier. 



Bro. Root, when you are irritable and cross, don't 

 attribute it to the " Evil One," but see if your 

 stomach, liver, and nerves are not more to blame 

 than this active gentleman. He may be entirely 

 innocent of the charge. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Peoria, 111. 



Well, I am really glad, sister II., to have 

 your testimony in regard to my new hobby 

 of doctoring without medicine : that is. doc- 

 toring some comi)]aints without medicine ; 

 and 1 am glad to liear you say tluit the after- 

 dinner nap did not answer. You are partly 

 right, no doubt, in your closing remarks: 

 that is, the part of our bodies intended to di- 

 gest our food, and send the results of it into 

 the proper channels, must liave time and el- 

 bow-room to do its work. Digestion can not 

 go on in a natural way when we feel as if a 

 breath of wind would blow us over. I be- 

 lieve, however, that tlie Ev\\ One is always 

 watching his best chances. The Bible says, 

 you know, that he is constantly going about 

 like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may 

 devour. Well, when we are so foolish as to 

 overtax our strength and energies, Satan is 

 always at hand ; but a good Christian — one 

 who has faith, and is rooted and grounded 

 in Christ Jesus— should be able to say, •' Get 

 thee behind me, Satan," even at such times. 

 By all means, fortify yourself physically 

 against disease and all the consequences 

 that follow, and at the same time be sure 

 your feet are always planted on that Rock 

 that stands, though heaven and earth should 

 pass away. J am glad to hear you say that 

 you more titan make up for the hour or half- 

 hour that might seem to be lost. 



5^0B^CC0 CQW^MN. 



SMOKERS FOR TOBArCO-USERS WHO ARE NOT 

 SUBSCRIBERS TO GLEANINGS. 



XF your offer of a smoker extends to non-subscrib- 

 ^ ers, you may send me one. I have just quit 

 ^r smoking, after using it more or less for fifteen 

 -*■ years; and if I use it again 1 will pay you for 

 the smoker. 1 think I shall be as well off, both 

 temporally and si>iritually, without it. 



New Lyme, O., July '.il, IHST. J. N. Kichmonu. 



Friend R.. when we hist proposed giving 

 a smoker to any one of our subscribers who 

 would give up "tobacco, we had no thought 

 of extending the otter to any but our sub- 

 scribers, or. if you choose, to the Gleax- 

 iNGs family ; thai is, those who read and 

 contribute to the support of the journal. 

 And by the way, friend R.. I hope you will 

 excuse me for saying that it seems to me 

 that any one who" proposes to take advan- 

 tage of "this lil)eral otter should be willing to 

 subscrilte for tlie journal making the otter. 

 Recollect, there is no ^eruniarii protit in giv- 

 ing a smoker to those who give up using 

 tobacco. We give .\ou the smoker simply 

 for your own gootl, or. if you ciioose. to en- 

 courage voii in rigid doing, and with the 

 understanding that you save money instead 

 of losing money by accepting our little gift. 



