190i) 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



623 



to twenty pounds of sugar. The amount of 

 water may vary according to the time of the 

 year when the bees are fed. For late fall 

 feeding we would recommend L*>i lbs. of 

 sugar to one of water; for feeding in early 

 September, two of sugar to one of water. 



With regard to the use of either acid or 

 honey, we have never found it essential. 

 We simply mix up the sugar and water, 

 stirring until the sugar is all dissolved. 

 Sometimes we mix them cold; but hot water 

 facilitates the process very materially. 



SOURCES OF HONEY-DEW. 



A SHORT time aeo we wrote to Prof. H. A. 

 Surface, Economic Zoologist for Pennsylva- 

 nia, at Harrisburg, inquiring whether he had 

 been able to identify the species of insects of 

 the genus Aphis that was responsible for the 

 large amount of honey-dew that has been 

 found in nearly all of the Eastern States; 

 whether he knew of any reason why the in- 

 sects were more prevalent this year than 

 usual. We suggested that conditions of last 

 spring were possibly very favorable for their 

 growth, and then we asked if he thought that 

 the aphides come and go in cycles of years 

 like the seventeen-year locusts, adding that 

 there has been no large amount of honey- 

 dew since the year 1884. 



The reply received is of such general in- 

 terest that we place it before our readers, 

 especially so as Prof. Surface is regarded as 

 one of the most prominent entomologists in 

 the country to-day. 



Replyine to your inquiry concerning honey-dew, 

 which has been produced in such unusual abundance 

 this summer. I be? to say that it is liable to be produc- 

 ed not only by any species of the genus Aphis, of which 

 there are immense numbers, but also by any repre- 

 sentative of the family Aphidw, or the great group of 

 plant lice, and also by some of the scale insects, such 

 as the Leainium and soft-scale. This season seemed to 

 be very favorable for a great superabundance of plant 

 lice and scale insects. As a natural conseriucnce the 

 honey-dew secretion was unusually abundant. As a 

 rule I doubt if the weather wou'd have much influence 

 upon them, although it would be true that they would 

 be supposed to be more abundant during dry weather, 

 because they are kept in check by very hard and cold 

 rains. They are chiefly controlled by their natural 

 enemies, such as the lady beetles, syrphid flies, larval 

 lace wings, or plant-lice lions, braconid parnsites, fun- 

 gous diseases, and even some species of birds, such as 

 chickadees and kinglets. 



It has been supposed to a considerable extent that 

 this honey-dew is a secretion through the cornicles or 

 so-called honey-tuhes of the plant lice; but it is not al- 

 ways secreted by this means, as some insects produc- 

 ing it do not have the cornicles, which are seen on the 

 backs of the abdomens of most species of plant lice 

 when examined under a microscope. From these in- 

 sects which do not have honey-tubes, the honey-dew 

 maybe produced through the vent, as has been ob- 

 served in some of the aphids, and there would be then 

 some discussion as to whether it would be properly 

 called an excretion or a secretion. I believe, however, 

 that it is comparable to the production of milk, and its 

 purpose is to stimulate ants to take care of the insects 

 or the eggs of the insects producing it. It is remark- 

 able what care ants take of plant lice or their eggs, in 

 order to be able to visit these little pests and eat the 

 sweet liquid as their food. 



I have never known a year in all my .studies of ento- 

 mology, and in my corre'pondence of thousands of 

 persons each month, during which the plant lice or 

 aphids have been so abundant as they were this year, 

 and. consequently, that is to say that the honey-dew 

 was likewise unusually abundant. I believe that the 

 insects are liable to occur upon almost any species of 

 plant, although, as a rule, any one species of insect is 

 liable to confine itself to only a few species of plants, 



and those generally of the same family. In my studies 

 I have tried to make lists of the different species of 

 plant lice attacking each kind of plant or crop, and on 

 the other hand an equally important list of all the food 

 plants which anyone species of aphid would attack. 

 This is why I desired specimens. It is possible that 

 the enemie« of plant lice will be able to check them 

 down considerably by next year, so that they will be 

 no more abundant than usual; but I fear that the un- 

 usually dry weather in this part of the country will 

 seriously reduce the white-clover crop. 



H. A. Surface. 

 Harrisburg, Pa.. Sept. 22. Economic Zoolosist. 



CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL BEE-KEEP- 

 ER'S ASSOCIATION; A BRIEF REPORT OF 

 THE LAST ANNUAL MEETING IN SIOUX 

 CITY, IOWA, SEPT. 22 AND 23. 



At the last minute, unforeseen contingen- 

 cies arose by which it was impossible for 

 either E. R. or H. H. Root to attend the Na- 

 tional convention. We therefore requested 

 our l hicago representative, Mr. R. W. Boy- 

 den, to go in our stead. He sent in a brief 

 report, which we present herewith: 



At the fortieth annual convention of the National 

 Bee-keepers' Association, the attendance, while good, 

 was rather smaller than had been expected. Among 

 those present were George E. Hilton. George W. York, 

 N. E. France. C. P. Dadant, Dr. E. F. Phillips, Dr. G. 

 Bohrer, O. O. Poppleton, Edwin E. Kretchmer, Eugene 

 Secor, and W. H. Putnam. 



The meeting was called to order promptly at 10 ; 30 

 A.M., Sept. 22. The secretary not being present. R. A. 

 Morgan, of Vermillion. S. D., was appointed secretary 

 pro tempore. The president appointed several commit- 

 tees—one on resolutions, another on question-box. 

 program, etc. The meeting then adjourned to meet at 

 1 : 30 P.M. 



The Committee on Resolutions reported as soon as 

 the meeting was called to order. The most important 

 resolution was one concerning a change in the consti- 

 tution, which would permit the president or acting 

 president, at each meeting of the association, to ap- 

 point a committee from those present, to consist of one 

 representative from each State to act with the Execu- 

 tive Committee 'which includes the president, vice- 

 president, secretary, and treasurer and manager of 

 the association) to make nominations for the following 

 elections. This year a motion was made that the 

 prpsident appoint a committee to make such nomina- 

 tions, to be used in connection with nominations al- 

 ready made; but in order that nominations for ensu- 

 ing years be made by such a committee it was found 

 necessary to change the constitution. A committee 

 was, therefore, appointed to arrange for making this 

 change so that nominations hereafter may be made by 

 a committf e as above mentioned. 



The nominations submitted were as follows: 



For president, Geo. W. York. Chicago; Thos. Chan- 

 try, Price, Utah. 



For vice-president, W. D. Wright, Altamont, N. Y.; 

 Geo. M. Bently. Knoxville. Tenn. 



Secretary, Morley Pettit, Jordan, Ontario; Louis H. 

 Scholl. New Braunfels. Texas. 



President and general manager (one only), N. E. 

 France. Platteville. Wis. 



For the three directors, six nominations were made: 

 J. E. Crane, Middlebury, Vt.; .1. ,1. Wilder, Cordele, 

 Ga.; R. A. Morgan, Vermillion, S. D.; Edwin G. Brown. 

 Sergeant Bluff. la. ; B. A. Hadsell, Buckeye, Ariz.; E. 

 F. Atwater. Meridian, Idaho. 



The report of the nominating committee was adopt- 

 ed as read, and the committee discharged. 



Three papers were read and discussed— one entitled 

 " Shaking Energy into Bees." by Geo. W. Williams, of 

 Redkey. Ind. ; another on " Putting in Comb Founda- 

 tion." by K. P. Southworth. of .Salix. la.; and the last, 

 "Bee Diseases," by Dr. E. F. Phillips. These papers 

 were fully discussed, and much interest was shown in 

 them. 



From newspaper clippings, we judge that 

 the attendance was small, and that only three 

 papers were read, the rest of the time being 

 taken up with the question-box and discus- 

 sions. We hope that another year the Na- 

 tional will have a big meeting: 



