IdOd 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



671 



not yet received a valid name under Salvia. The black 

 satre is Salvia mellifera (Green), and the crimson-flow- 

 ered sage is Su/vw sp(/^/?triJ I Green ». There are other 

 species, of course, which are concerned in this mix- 

 up; but the three mentioned above are the only ones 

 of much importance as bee-plants. H. M. Hall. 



No, I would not hold the doctor responsi- 

 ble for leading me into "hopeless confu- 

 sion " in this matter; but what can we lay- 

 men do "when doctors disagree"? While 

 talking with Mr. Ralph Benton last week he 

 told me that he intended to assign the sages 

 in his forthcoming work on bees to the Sal- 

 vias, as outlined in the last paragraph of Dr. 

 Hall's letter above. I remember that, in 

 looking over the sages in the botanical gar- 

 den of our university, I notice that the 

 honey-sages are classed under Salvia. It 

 looks to me as though the next editions of 

 our bee-books would have to be revised in 

 regard to the names of these world-famous 

 honey-secreting plants. 



Oakland, Cal. 



[We shall adopt the name Salvia in the 

 next edition of our work, "The ABC and 



X Y Z of Bee Culture." Mr. Morrison put 

 in the Latin name in our last edition. He 

 used the best information that we then had. 

 —Ed.] 



PUTTING UP BEES AND QUEENS TO BE 

 SENT BY MAIL. 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



HOW BEES AND QUEENS ARE PUT INTO A MAILING-CAGE 



Visitors who come here to look over our 

 bee-yards are often greatly interested in the 

 process of putting the queen and her dozen 

 or so of attendants in a mailing-cage. We 

 dare say there are many old and experienced 

 honey-producers, not to say beginners, who 

 would find themselves a little awkward if 

 they were to attempt the feat. As one sees 

 with what deftness our experienced men 

 pick up bees and poke them through a small 

 hole, it looks very simple; but let one try it 

 for the first time, and he will get his fingers 

 and thumbs stung, and he may fuss away at 

 it a quarter of an hour; and by the time he 

 gets ready to pick up 

 the queen he may be so 

 nervous that she will be 

 very lucky if she gets 

 inside without having 

 her ribs punched or her 

 head smashed. 



But even experienced 

 men get their fingers 

 stung more or less; for 

 often a bee, after being 

 poked through the hole, 

 will turn about and de- 

 liver a sting. Some- 

 times after a yard man 

 has been putting up 

 queens all day he will 

 complain that his fin- 

 gers and thumbs are 

 numb, because on some 

 days he will get stung 

 several times. 



Almost every queen- 

 breeder has his own 

 way of holding the cage. 

 In the illustration Mr. 

 Bain shows how he does 

 it. As will be noticed, 

 the frame is laid on top 

 of the hive, and from it 

 bees— preferably those 

 with their heads in the 

 cells sucking honey — 

 are picked up, because 

 their wings are then 

 just right to grab, and 

 because, further, it is 

 important that they be 

 well filled with honey 

 before they go on a 

 journey. Sometimes 

 the bees are put through 

 the hole head first, and 

 at other times they are 

 stuck through sting end 

 first. The last-men- 

 tioned way has the ad- 



