1887 



GLEANINGS IN I3EE CULTURE. 



747 



Bee EN'i^BMBLe^iY, 



Or Enemies of Bees Among the Insect Tribe. 



SOUTH CAROLINA BEE-STABBER. 



J INCLOSE a very accmate figure of a bee-rte- 

 sti-oying- bug' received from Mr. Swinson, State- 

 burg-, South Carolina. The figure gives accu- 

 rately the size, form, and markings. It Is a 

 very g-raceful, slender bug', and belongs to a 

 very prodaoeous group. Their entire life's business 

 seems to be to hunt out and dcstroj' other insects. 

 The scientific name is Sriitimlnxxiis j)lniU(>in(s, lAnn. 

 The specific name " pliyllopus " is very approix-iate, 

 as it means leaf-like foot, and doubtless was given 

 to this insect by the gresit Swedish naturalist be- 

 cause of the expanded postci'lor tibia. The general 

 color is brown, or in some species nearly black. 

 Right here I wish to praise Mr. Swinson's mode of 

 sending insects. He sent SL'veriil of all ages, each 

 inalittle hole by itself, and all in a long narrow pine 

 block. I hope others will take pattern after him. 



ANOTHER IJEE-STABBEU. 



A beautiful i>ure white line extends across the 

 wing-covers, as shown in tlie figure, which gives a 

 ready means of identifying' this bloodthirsty bug. 

 The spines on the posterior femora and tibiiv are 

 also interesting. Say had this species from Florida, 

 and described it as albiciiictus, because of the char- 

 acteristic white line. Glover says, this insect kills 

 the destructive cabbage-bug at Evergreen, S. ('. 

 This cabbage-plant bug, Strachia Imtrioidni, is very 

 destructive, as well as <]uite beautiful. Thus we 

 may conclude that this species that 1 am now de- 

 scribing does much good, and is well worthy our 

 fostering care, unless it makes too free with the 

 bees, which I hope will not be the case. 



Our Southern bee-keepers will easily identify this 

 insect by the white band and broad posterior legs. 

 1 am glad to get these, and all species of insects. I 

 wish they would always come in such good shape 

 as did these. Will Mr. Swinson rejiort if he finds 

 these bugs very destructive to his beesV I should 

 not expect such to be the case. A. J. ("ook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



Prof. Oiok:—l send you by this mail three or four 

 insects, which I should like you to name. They 

 catch and suck the life out of bees. Hies, grasshop- 

 pers, etc. If convenient, please name through 

 Gleanings. Ai.vinL.Hkim. 



Chandler, Ind., Sept. 7. 1«8T. 



Prof. Cook replies : 



The insects sent by Alvin L. Helm, Chandler, Ind., 

 are closely allied to the Missouri bee-killer, .(.'••i/i'.s' 

 ^tssoune/isis. This is a species of erax, and is 



smaller than asilus. By referring to my Manual, 

 page ol", last edition, a figure of one of these fierce 

 robber-Hies will be lound. They are reported from 

 the Gulf States as more serious enemies of bees 

 than are the dragon-Hies, or bee-hawks, as they are 

 called by bee-keeix is. A. A. Cook. 



.\gricultural College, Mich. 



nomada bees. 



Mr. John lUirr, liracevillo, III., sends some beauti- 

 ful bees of the genus Nomadn, which he says drive 

 the honey-bees from the sunflowers, and enter the 

 hives of even the crossest hybrids with no let or 

 hindrance from the hive-bees. These bees were put 

 up in nice shape, and came in fine trim. I am very 

 glad to get wild bees, as I am working on this fami- 

 ly, and want all thi'ie are i?i the Cnited States. 



These bees arc veiy pretty and \x'ry nunicroiis. 

 They have long tongues, short liairs, and much re- 

 semble wasps. It is reported that these bees Iny 

 their eggs in the nests of other bees, and thus their 

 young arc cared for by auother— a lazy trick; but 

 until we human mortals cease to get that for which 

 wc pay no justeciuivalent, we must not berate these 

 bees too soundly. They are known in England as 

 " cuckoo bees," from this habit, as the cuckoo of 

 Europe does the same thing— la.-is its eggs in the 

 nests of other birds, as do our cow-buntings. I often 

 toil children this story, and give my opinion of such 

 a course. I say to thom, " We ought all to hatch 

 our ov/n eggs." I wonder if the scent of these 

 cuckoo bees, which is aromatic, does not serve to 

 protect them, and thus enable them to i)ass safely 

 into the nests of other bees, and possibly into the 

 hive of the honeyliee. Thus it may not be fear that 

 caused Mr. Rurr's hybrids to permit their entrance. 

 It was possibly an agreeable odor. " How wonder- 

 ful are all God's works," and how little we yet 

 know of the things close aliout us! Thus what an 

 incentive we have to work and study. 



Agricultural College, Mich. A.. I. Cook. 



Bee Be^f^NY, 



OR, HONEY - PLANTS TO BE NAMED. 



ACTINOMEIUS SQUARROSA. 



U. HOOT:— I send you a branch of a weed 

 that grows here on our creek bottoms. Can 

 you inform me what it is? It blooms dur- 

 ing August and September; grows 5 or 

 feet high, and for a month or six weeks the 

 bees are on it from morning till night. 



This locality echoes the cry of nearly everywhere 

 else, " No honey." We shall not get over 'Mi) pounds 

 from our ~s colonies, spring eount. -About one-half 

 of them did not make a single pound of surplus. 

 Herbert Uricker. 

 Slate Lick, Pa., Sept. Iti, 1HS7. 



Our fi'iends at the Experiment Station re- 

 ply as follows : 



A. I. Root:— The si)ecimen you sent from Her- 

 bert Bricker is A(ii)iinnerh fi/udimxd. Nutt. This 

 is one of our native weeds, often found in fence- 

 ro^vs and old fields, where it is usually troublesome. 

 Ex PERI M ent Stat i on. 



Coliinilius, Ohio, Sept. 30, 1S87. Per Craiy. 



.Mii. A. I. Boot: —Inclosed please Hud a specimen 

 of weed that my bees ai'c busily gathering honey 



