1908 



GLEANINGS IN BP:E CULTURE. 



25 



ey sold, and the combs ready for use as 

 needed in the spring; and third, and most 

 important, we would practice that stimula- 

 tion which would give us very strong colo- 

 nies and much honey as the season advances. 

 I am sure we all owe Mr. Alexander a most 

 hearty vote of thanks for his meaty article, 

 and you, Mr. Editor, for giving it to us in 

 the pages of your excellent paper. 

 .^ 



ENEMIKS OF BEES. 



One of the interesting facts of nature is 

 that of mimicry for protection. In one case 

 our bees are victims to this law of mimicry. 

 This comes through one of our little bugs, 

 which, in my "Bee-keeper's Guide," I call 

 the " stinging bug. " This insect is known 

 to science as Phymata erosa. This little bug 

 is a good illustration of this law of mimicry. . 

 It is of a dull obscure yellow; and as it hides 

 among the stamens of the goldenrod it is so 

 concealed that it is difficult even for the hu- 

 man eye, sharpened by close scientific obser- 

 vation, to discover it. What wonder, then, 

 that the industrious honey-bee, all unsus- 

 pecting, should come fearlessly into the very 

 clutch of this cruel stinging bug? I gave 

 the name "stinging bug '' to this little stab- 

 ber, as it often punctures man himself so as 

 to cause a severe smart. 



There is another curious feature about this 

 little murderer that is not specially joyous 

 to the bee-keeper. It has its front legs curi- 

 ously fashioned so as to grasp with them; 

 and as it lies snugly in its floral retreat it 

 can, as bee or other coveted insect comes to 

 it, grasp its luckless prey with one of these 

 strong leg jaws, and, with the other, hold 

 firmly to the flower, and then with its strong 

 beak can pierce and suck its victim blood- 

 less and lifeless. This phymata is widely 

 distributed in our country, and destroys 

 many thousands of bees annually. It is for- 

 tunate that our bees are so prolific, as we 

 know of no way to get rid of these bugs, 

 and we may not suffer very serious loss, for 

 the increase in the hive with a good queen is 

 so striking that the loss from the stinging 

 bug is not greatly felt. 



PLACING BEES EARLIER IN THE CELLAR. 



On Nov. 18, Mr. C. Edmanson, President 

 of the Brant Bee-keepers' Association, a thor- 

 oughly up-to-date bee-keeper, helped me to 

 put my bees in the cellar. On the 27th of the 

 same month I helped him to cellar his bees. 

 We both made up our minds that the bees 

 had lost by remaining out the other nine 

 days, and, circumstances permitting, the bees 

 will go in even earlier next year. 



On page 1510 you very wisely endorse what 

 appears to be to you a new idea in comb- 

 honey shipping-cases; viz., a sliding cover. 

 No doubt the idea is original with Mr. Hart 

 but we have had them in general use in On- 

 tario for fifteen years or more. 1 simply 

 took the pattern from the old-fashioned 

 wooden match-box. 



.^ 



STIMULATIVE FEEDING IN SPRING. 



At the Ontario Bee-keepers' Association 

 convention lately held in Toronto, Messrs 

 Wm. McEvoy, S. D. House, E. Deckinsoni 

 Jr., and R. F. Holtermann were about the 

 only pronounced advocates of stimulative 

 feeding. They carefully qualified the state- 

 ment by saying it had to be done skillfully 

 and judiciously, and Mr. McEvoy said that 

 when begun at fruit- bloom time, feeding 

 should be done whenever one day passed 

 without either natural or artificial storing by 

 the bees. For my part I am inclined to think 

 that the four above-named gentlemen display- 

 ed remarkably sound judgment in their views 

 and convictions upon the question. 



BRANT DISTRICT MEETING. 



The Brant District bee-keepers' convention, 

 which has been so great a success for several 

 years, and which last year was honored by 

 the presence of five (and no ordinary five) of 

 our United States bee-keeping fraternity 

 is to be held this year at Brantford, Jan 21 

 22, 23, beginning at 7 : 30 p.m. of the first day! 

 probably at the court-house. Mr. L. A. As- 

 pinwall, President National Bee-keepers' 

 Association, Jackson, Mich. , has already sig- 

 nified his intention to be present with a non- 

 swarming hive. As old and careful an in- 

 vestigator as is Mr. Aspinwall would be 

 enough of a drawing card; but we expect 

 many more. My bee-cellar will be open for 

 inspection. I should be glad if those coming 

 from the United States or Canada would 

 write the secretary, Mr. W. J. Craig, Brant- 

 ford, or myself at the same place. New York 

 State is only some 80 miles away, and Michi- 

 gan is within a reasonable distance. 

 .9 



FOUL BROOD. 



No doubt all will be pleased that, when 

 the reports of the latter part of the season 

 and that of the extreme eastern portion of 

 the Province have been added to the early 

 seasons, the percentage of apiaries found dis- 

 eased of those inspected is 42. This, how- 

 ever, leaves no room for congratulation, par- 

 ticularly when, in some cases, every apiary 

 in the vicinity was inspected. As the result 

 of attending conventions in New York and 

 Michigan 1 found much disease reported in 

 the Michigan Convention, where, it was said, 

 "We must wipe it out or it will wipe us out.'' 

 In other diseases of a contagious nature a 

 good wholesome anxiety aroused makes eve- 

 ry intelligent person help in the needed work. 

 It appears to me that the bee- journals could 

 and should help in this work. Let every bee- 

 keeper in the country work to see if the dis- 



