1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



403 



the cases he describes, he could not know that the bees cer- 

 tainly died because of the poison, while in the other cases 

 there would be no chance to avoid this conclusion. As I have 

 already suggested, Prof. Webster is not so careful in regard 

 to other insects, and with good reason. 



It seems strange to me that he should have required so 

 much more testimony in the case of bees. It is well-known to 

 all bee-keepers that in many seasons bees hardly visit fruit- 

 bloom at all, owing either to cold, damp weather, or possibly 

 absence of nectar. Thus, it is easy to see why in such cases 

 spraying trees while in bloom is not injurious to bees. The 

 same condition prevents cross-pollination, and often accounts 

 for failure of a fruit crop, because of the lack of cross-pollin- 

 ation by bees. I was positive, years ago, from the evidence 

 given above, that spraying trees while in bloom, with the 

 arsenites, was always fatal to bees if they worked at all ex- 

 tensively on the bloom. It also may destroy the brood as 

 well. I am no more positive now that I have the results of 

 Prof. Webster's experiments. 



If Prof. Webster had owned a large apiary, and had he 

 witnessed the utter extermination of his bees, as many bee- 

 keepers have done, after seeing the bees work on sprayed 

 bloom, he would not have been so exacting in his call for 

 proofs ; no more exacting than in the case with other insects. 

 But it is fortunate that he is at last convinced, and will not 

 longer throw his influence on the side of error and mischief. 



Claremont, Calif. 



Apis Dorsata — The Queen-Business. 



BY W. P. FAYLOB. 



For one, I am sorry to learn of some of our bee-keepers 

 using their influence against the good-will and earnest wishes 

 of those who desire the importation of the "giant bees " from 

 the East. And now, Mr. Editor, have you not given your in- 

 fluence somewhat in the same direction ? Should the intro- 

 duction of new races or species of bees add nothing better to 

 what we have, we will still be as well off as before ; and should 

 we gain by another importation, then, surely, all bee-keepers 

 will have reason for rejoicing. 



The absconding nature of Apis dorsata is the worst fea- 

 ture urged against them ; but I think this is due largely be- 

 cause of their building their combs so frequently in the open 

 air. Our bees will do the same thing under similar circum- 

 stances ; and when mice or any pestilence annoy them, or 

 when starvation stares them in the face, the tamest bees in 

 the world will abscond in search of better surroundings. 



The best description I ever saw of this race was that re- 

 ported by Mr. Henry Alley, and published in the American 

 Apiculturist some years ago, by a man who kept a colony of 

 the " giant bees " for a good part of a hot summer. Here, 

 where the heat is less intense, and our summers shorter, and 

 the honey-flow more frequent, even Apis dorsata would be 

 less inclined to abandonment. 



But our greatest hope is in obtaining a cross with some 

 of the bees we have. Because the queens of this large bee 

 are supposed to mate at about suudown or dusk, many have 

 concluded that Apis dorsata could never be crossed with other 

 bees ; but is this not mere presumption? My observatiou has 

 been that the queen goes out on her wedding tour only when 

 the bees of her colony urgently request her to go. Then, 

 again, in a very hot climate and a dry atmosphere drones fly 

 much later in the day than when bees are gathering nectar 

 freely. During a hot, dry spell of weather, our own domesti- 

 cated drones will fly most thickly between 3 and S^o'clock in 

 the afternoon ; and when the weather is cooler, in May or 

 June, they are seen most thickly at about 1 p.m. May not 

 climatic influences have much to do with varying traits of bees? 

 For one, I should like to see Apis dorsata given a fair 



trial in a fair country for honey-flows. The importation of 

 fresh blood of some of the same races we now have might also 

 be an improvement to our bees. We have reason to believe 

 that the best bees from Italy at present are not being im- 

 ported to our country. About all the queens now imported 

 are reared by the artificial method, and are not so large nor 

 prolific as those that come by Nature's method. I am quite 

 sure we dropped the "Syrians" and the "Cyprians" too 

 soon. By careful selection a better Cyprian and Syrian type 

 might also be introduced than what has already been tried. 



Poultry men search the world for the best hen to lay eggs, 

 and why not let the earth be searched for the best bee to 

 gather honey ? Now, my brother bee-keeper, if you have no 

 faith m the importation of new races ot bees, in the name of 

 reason and judgment do not throw a stumbling-block in the 

 way of those who wish to give this matter one fair trial. 



SENDING QUEENS PKOMPTLY'. 



It seems to me that those who engage in the business of 

 rearing queens for the market should go into the business on 

 a large enough scale to meet the market demands promjstJj/. 

 Nearly a month ago I sent an order to Texas for two queens ; 

 one arrived a few days ago, the other has not come yet. This 

 queen-breeder never sent any statement as to whether the 

 order had been received or not. It would seem like business, 

 to me, that when a queen cannot be sent promptly, a state- 

 ment ought to be sent, saying when a queen, or queens, will 

 be sent. 



ADVERTISE THE PRICES OF THINGS. 



Every one who advertises things for sale should give the 

 prices for which they can be had. For instance, some one ad- 

 vertises in the American Bee Journal (a splendid medium for 

 advertising) " Queens by return mail. Write for price-list." 

 Perhaps the bee-keeper wants a queen within a day or two, 

 and does not desire to spend time and a postal to get prices. 



Do not withhold the price because some one else adver- 

 tises cheaper than you can sell. Some one who advertises 

 queens for one dollar may get an order as soon as the one who 



sells queens for half that price. 



Hansen, Iowa, May 26. 



One Way to Hunt for Bee-Trees. 



BY' PETER STEINEBACH. 



E. S. G. asks, on page 278, how to hunt bees. I will give 

 my way. 



I enclose a picture of a hunting-box in three parts, 

 marked No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. 



No. 1 has a part soldered to the bottom so that it will set 

 on a stick. I use an old hoe-handle, cutting the hoe off. I 

 sharpen the iron so that I can run it in the ground, or, if 

 need be, in wood, or in the road, and have it set solid. The 

 ferrule of box No. 1 should just fit over the other end of the hoe- 

 handle. 



Box No. 2 must fit over box No. 1, where you see the 

 beeswax. Box No. 3 must fit in box No. 2 on the under side. 

 These boxes can be made small so that they can be carried in 

 the coat-pocket. 



Now, to hunt bees, select some time when bees cannot get 

 anything, or when they will rob. I go where I think a bee- 

 tree might be. Have prepared the box and honey. For bait 

 I use honey and water — % water, ;» honey. Put both into a 

 bottle, and shake until it is well mixed. When it gets sour 

 take new. 



When I get where I want to begin, I run the hoe-handle 

 in the ground ; take box No. 1 and fill it from^the honey in 

 the bottle, and carefully lick off with the tongue all the honey 

 that does not run into the cells. Now set the box on the hoe- 

 handle. 



You can catch bees with box No. 2 or No. 3, but I like a 



