544 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 1 



transposed the slides. It returned to the 

 blue. 



While the bee was away I transposed the 

 slides for the fifth time. The bee returned 

 to the blue. Then it left the blue slide, flew 

 across to the red, but at once returned to 

 the blue. 



The bee left for the hive and I transposed 

 the slides. On its return it circled about as 

 though in doubt and presently disappeared 

 from view; but a little later it returned and 

 settled on the blue. While taking up its 

 load of honey it left the blue three times, 

 but in each instance returned. 



The bee left for the hive and I transposed 

 the slides. It returned to the blue. 



The bee left for the hive and I transposed 

 the slides for the eighth time. On returning 

 the bee hovered close to the red, and then 

 went to the blue. 



As soom as the bee returned to the hive, I 

 transposed the slides for the ninth and last 

 time. When the bee came back, it alighted 

 after a little hesitation on the blue. It left 

 once and flew across to the red, but soon re- 

 turned to the blue. Left a second time but 

 soon returned. Then it flew into the room, 

 and on being released went back to the hive. 



There can be no question that in this ex- 

 periment the honey-bee was able to distin- 

 guish the blue color from the red. I repeat- 

 ed the experiment many times and varied it 

 in many different ways, but the bee always 

 showed its ability to distinguish between 

 different colors. Only one bee should be 

 employed, for if there are two or three they 

 will conflict and to some extent produce 

 confusion. 



Lubbock also endeavored to show that 

 blue is the favorite color of the honey-bee; 

 but his results are unsatisfactory, and his 

 method of exposition is obscure, and does 

 not give sufficient details. . Says Cowan in 

 his book on the honey-bee, "The experi- 

 ments of Sir John Lubbock are not at all con- 

 clusive that bees have a preference for any 

 particular color." On the other hand, Her- 

 mann Miiller, who was the greatest authori- 

 ty the world has ever produced on the mu- 

 tual relations of insects and flowers, de- 

 clared, after innumerable observations, that 

 blue is more agreeable to the honey-bee than 

 any other color. In his experiments he used 

 fiower-petals of different colors placed un- 

 der glass slides, and he arranged the differ- 

 ent colors in the following series according 

 to the preference of the honey-bee: violet, 

 blue, red, white, pale yellow, pure green, 

 glaring red, and glaring yellow. Within the 

 past ten years, however. Prof. Felix Plateau, 

 of the University of Ghent, Belgium, has 

 published many papers, in which he asserts 

 that Miiller was misled by a too vivid imag- 

 ination. 



Now, does the honey-bee prefer blue to 

 every other color or not? Is Miiller or Plat- 

 eau right? During the past summer, for the 

 purpose of answering these questions I made 

 many experiments with slips of colored pa- 

 per and with floral leaves, but the results 

 were inconclusive. Apparently there is no 



doubt that a person dressed in black will re- 

 ceive a greater number of stings than one 

 wearing white clothing. Do the bees see 

 the black more readily than the white? or 

 does black excite them in the same way that 

 red enrages the bull or the turkey-gobbler? 

 Strictly speaking, of course neither black 

 nor white is a color. 



I am now devising some new experiments 

 to be tried another season, in the hope of 

 deciding the matter one way or the other. 

 I should like to ask the many readers of 

 Gleanings two questions. 1 . Have you ever 

 observed any evidence to prove that the 

 honey-bee prefers one color (as blue) to 

 another? 2. Can you suggest an experiment 

 that will help in the solution of this problem? 

 In either case will you kindly write and give 

 me the benefit of your observations and sug- 

 gestions? Let us remember that, in the 

 multitude of counselors, there is wisdom. 



Waldoboro, Maine. 



HOW BULK COMB HONEY IS PACKED. 



BY LOUIS SCROLL. 



In answer to an inquiry I will give our 

 method of packing comb honey. 

 ' As it is impossible to produce an excellent 

 article of comb honey in any of the deep 

 frames so much in use, our supers are all of 

 the shallow type with 5fs-depth frames. 

 With these it is possible to use full sheets of 

 very light foundation. Room can be given 

 only as needed, especially on weaker colo- 

 nies; and the finished product can be re- 

 moved sooner. 



It is much easier to remove such shallow- 

 frame supers, without handling and brush- 

 ing a single comb, and in hauling the supers 

 home, which we do with all our honey. The 

 combs do not break down. In the honey- 

 house they are stacked up, and the honey 

 packed into different-sized cans, all in cases. 



In most general use is the case holding 

 two 60-lb. square cans, the same as for ex- 

 tracted honey, except that they have large 

 openings with eight-inch screw-caps. Other 

 regular and popular sizes of packages are 

 12, 6, and 3 pound friction-top round pails — 

 the two sizes in cases of ten pails each, and 

 the latter twenty to a case. All the above, 

 with the regular 60-lb. square cans for ex- 

 tracted honey, were made the standard-size 

 packages by the Texas Bee-keepers' Associ- 

 ation many years ago. 



In packing the honey, the frames with the 

 combs are placed on a six-inch board laid 

 across one of the tubs we use in our ex- 

 tracting-work. This catches all the drip and 

 bits of comb and other wastes. The Knife 

 runs around the inside of the frame, which 

 is then put back into an empty super, and 

 later to be scraped clean with all the others, 

 for future use again. 



For the large square cans the combs are 

 cut across the middle; and the two halves 

 laid flat side by side make a layer in the can. 

 The next layer is placed crosswise of the 



