S06 



CLEANINGS LH BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



bees, or bees of the genus Apis. Such bees need 

 much pollen, and so are well provided with organs 

 to collect it. While the stingless bees of Mexico 

 have well-developed pollen-baskets, they are with- 

 out the pollen-combs. The absence of the stiff spur 

 —tibial spur— at the end of the posterior tibia is also 

 peculiar to our honey-bees, or bees of the genus 

 Apis. 



The compound hairs are peculiarly fitted to collect 

 the pollen from the stamens of the flowers, and to 

 hold it till it is combed off by the beautiful combs 

 already referred to. In some genera of our wild 

 bees the pollen-brushes are very large on the femo- 

 ra, and iu some the pollen-baskets are on the tro- 

 chanter and femur. 



The posterior legs of the queen are much the 

 same form as those of the \vorker. They are 

 large, but have not pollen-baskets, the highly de- 

 veloped hairs, the curious jaws and pollen-combs, 

 which serve to distinguish tbe worker. The drone 

 has weak legs, with simple hairs; the tibia is more 

 narrowed toward the femur, and the basal tarsus 

 has rounded angles. Here we find no pollen-bas- 

 kets, and the jawlike joint is absent. The drone's 

 legs are even simpler, or less modified, than the legs 

 of the queen. 



"We see how useful are the posterior legs of the 

 worker-bees. They aid in walking; they sustain an 

 enormous weight when bees cluster; they gather, 

 transfer, and carry the nitrogenous food (the pol- 

 len) and the propolis; they grasp and carry forwai'd 

 the delicate wax scales, and aid to clean off the pol- 

 len as the bee frees its legs of this substance when 

 the latter is pushed off into the cells of the comb. 



There is no wonder, then, that these parts are use- 

 ful in classifying this part of the great insect-world. 

 Thus we say, the higher bees have the broadened 

 basal tarsus, and the pollen-gathering hairs. The 

 genera Bomhus and Apia, with the stingless bees, 

 have the pollen-baskets well marked, while only the 

 two genera. Apis and Bombus, have the jaw-like 

 joint, and only Apis the pollen-combs. The lower 

 bees, like Andrena, have all the tarsi narrow. As 

 some of these Andrena look much like bees, and oft- 

 en steal into the hives to pilfer honey, it is well to 

 know their peculiarities. 



In our next we will describe the anterior and mid- 

 dle legs of the worker-bee, which are also very in- 

 teresting. A. J. Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



KEEPING BEES ALL WINTER IN A 

 DOBMANT STATE. 



ANOTHER LETTER FROM DANIEL MCFADUEN. 



K. ROOT:— We send you to-day a letter from 

 Daniel McFadden, sent to us by,Mr. Watson, 

 of Alliston. We have taken a copy of it for 

 the C. B. J., and hasten to forward it on to 

 you, hoping that it may reach you in time 

 for your next issue. No doubt you will see many 

 points in it of ^much interest. You see they do not 

 have to make paper, for nature has provided them 

 with it. They also use the birch bark for canoes, 

 but of course they use much heavier bnrk. It can 

 beTpulled apart very thin, or left 'a inch thick, if 

 desired. You will see it answers very nicely for 

 paper. They also make many curiosities out of it. 

 Beeton, Can., Oct. 25, 1887. D. A. Jones. 



The letter referred to above, written on 

 thin sheets of birch bark, reads as follows : 



My Dear Watson:— 



I was glad to hear from you, and the more so on 

 account of the bundle of news you sent me; and it 

 happened I got it very soon after you sent it. 

 Young Beavertail was out at that time. Well, iu 

 the first place I must reprimand you for what you 

 wrote Mr. Root, as to Indians being more intelligent 

 than white men, and that what they did not know 

 was not worth knowing. Now, you know I did not 

 say any such thing. I only said the Indians know 

 some very useful things that white men do not 

 know ; but of course we all know they are not to be 

 compared to white men in general intelligence; 

 and in the sciences they are nowhere. Well, it is 

 no wonder Mr. Root told you to be careful about 

 placing confidence in me after what you told him. 

 Now, I hope you will make no gratis statements for 

 me in the future, if you have occasion to write to 

 any pei-son. Indeed, I am almost sorry I either 

 told you or wrote to Mr. Root at all about our bee- 

 business; but I have done it, and it is so. 



I see one man was experimenting by putting bees 

 in the snow, and could not revive them after three 

 days. 1 don't wonder at that. In the first place, he 

 starved them about to death; next, he wot them 

 by putting warm bees in the snow; then he kept 

 them in a room where there was plenty of air, and 

 no doubt dampish; then he warmed them at the 

 stove, although he tried some iu the sun with bet- 

 ter results. Now, just here I will answer your 

 questions and tell where he was wrong. 



Bees must not be starved; they must not be 

 damp; they must not have any circulation of air 

 about them, nor aii'-space. They would be likely to 

 mildew and spoil; they must be at least above the 

 freezing-point, which a bank of early snow never 

 reaches, if made deep enough before hard frosts 

 set in. If that man had made a magnifying piece 

 of ice, and examined his bees, in 3 days he would 

 have found mildew about their waists. The sun's 

 rays is the only safe way to bring the bees to ani- 

 mation. Now I think that is all I can tell you about 

 it. Remember that the bees must not be packed 

 away starved. They must be perfectly dry, have 

 no open air about them, nor light; no change of 

 temperature, such as opening a hole in to them 

 after they are packed. They must be opened only 

 to the warm sun. 



Now, as to our spring report, I have not much to 

 say, but here it is. I put 250 colonies in a cave in 

 the fall. I took out earlier than usual, the 20th of 

 April, and exposed them to the sun, sheltered from 

 the wind, my hives being tipped toward the sun. 

 Two hundred and forty-seven came to all right. 

 We made an ice magnifier and found a light mil- 

 dew around the three that were lifeless. They were 

 extra strong hives, and we not only think but know 

 by experience that we did not get them properly 

 cooled before puttiiigHheni under the snow. We 

 thought, as we had lost none for several years, and 

 never lost but three since I started in with him. 

 that we had got it down so fine that we should 

 never lose any more; but you see we were mis- 

 taken. However, we don't fret about that. 



Well, as to your other questions, first, I never 

 want to live among white people again. We never 

 saw and never want to see a missionary tramp in 

 our territory. Second, we raise corn, buckwheat, 

 and potatoes; we have fresh fish and dried fish. 



