OCTOBER 15, 1912 



661 



a stranger colony, seize three workers in 

 succession and sting them to death, still 

 retaining her sting. My observation of 

 the process of stinging another bee has 

 shown me in every instance that the point 

 of attack aimed at is the small aperture in 

 the thorax through which the viscera is 

 connected with the abdomen. Unless this 

 point can be penetrated by the sting, the 

 attacked bee is apparently safe from harm. 



It seems to be necessary for success that 

 the attacking bee should get ujjon the vic- 

 tim's back. I have watched two queens 

 fighting, and noticed that, when they clinch 

 face to face, the hinder and middle legs 

 are used very effectively to push away the 

 opiionent's sting, while using every effort 

 to reach the vulnerable point at the waist. 

 I once watched them fighting in this way 

 for what seemed to me to be 15 minutes 

 (I did not time them by my watch). They 

 fought until exhausted, and quit for a rest. 

 After a time they tried again with no re- 

 sult. In the third round one got upon 

 the other's back, and the fight was at an 

 end. If I am right on this point, a Avorker 

 would run no risk to herself in stinging a 

 drone. 



Still, I incline to the belief expressed by 

 the editor and Dr. Miller that the action 

 of the workers toward the drones is in 

 most cases, at least, a bluff. I have never, 

 so far as I can remember, seen the drones 

 curl up as the workers do when stung. 



Frankfort, Kan. 



[The sting of a queen is a little different 

 from that of a worker, and it is probable 

 that it is more easily withdrawn. It may 

 be that woi'kers are able to withdraw their 

 stings when they sting other bees; but, 

 nevertheless, there have been plenty of 

 dead workers found with stings in their 

 bodies. This, however, does not prove that 

 the workers always lose their stings when 

 stinging other bees. In fact, it is quite 

 probable that they frequently do withdraw 

 them. We should like to hear from others. 

 —Ed.] 



AN AVERAGE OF 103 POUNDS OF SUMAC 

 COMB HONEY IN 14 DAYS 



BY W. S. BASIM 



The engraving shows a part of my bee- 

 yard (ground is too rough to get all colo- 

 nies). This picture was taken July 4, 1911, 

 at 4 p. M., when the honey-flow was nearly 

 done. The tall hive holds a small colony 

 guarding combs of honey. 



My average yield was a fraction less than 

 103 lbs. of honey in 4 x 5 sections. The 

 best yield ever before was 67 lbs. We had 

 no clover last year, and this honey was 

 almost all gathered in 14 days from sumac. 

 I never had such a honey-flow since I have 

 been in the bee business. No colony got 

 the swarming fever. 



Vincent, 0. 



Corner of W. S. Basim's apiary from which he secured ;ni average ol' 103 sectiuiis of sumac honey 



per colony in 14 days. 



