THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



405 



GLEANED BY FRANK BENTON. 



Arabis Alpina.— a correspondent of 

 Der Elsnessische Blencn-Zucchter and the 

 editor of the same periodical, spealc in high 

 terms of a plant bearing the scientific name 

 mentioned above, and known to the French 

 as Arabette des Alpes, and among Ger- 

 mans as Alpengaensekraut. Plerr Denn- 

 ler says "it is covered with bees from morn- 

 ing-till evening, and appears to be an 

 inexhaustable source of sweet nectar. It 

 yields pollen also. The snow-white blos- 

 soms appear (in Lothringen) early in March 

 and continue through April, furnishing, 

 in connection with the whitish-green leaves 

 a fine effect. It is recommended for bor- 

 ders. 



The following close translation of a let- 

 ter written by Herrn G. Von Gerichten, of 

 Illkirch, may furnish a lesson in patience 

 and care for some of our careless Yankee 

 bee-owners: 



"Howl Saved MY Bees from Death 

 by Chilling.— On the 17th of April the 

 sun appeared very beautiful in the morning, 

 the bees buzzed joyously and carried home 

 rich loads of honey and pollen from the 

 fruit trees, resplendent in their beautiful 

 blossoms. Toward mid-day a cold wind 

 blew, impeding the homeward flight of 

 many bees, and in a few minutes the 

 vicinity of my bee stand lay strewn with 

 torpid workers. As is the case with all my 

 bee-keeping colleagues, I cannot knowingly 

 permit a single bee to perish. I put my 

 chilled pets in a glass jar and placed it near 

 the warm stove, and soon had the pleasure 

 of seeing the little fellows, heretofore mo- 

 tionless, move about in a sprightly manner. 

 I gave them all to one of my weakest 

 stocks, which accepted them readily. Thus 

 was I able to save the lives of many bees, 

 and I herewith call the attention of all bee- 

 keepers to the manner." 



The success of the apiculturist depends 

 upon having his hives populous. This is a 

 principle that one ought never to overlook. 

 —Conlardi. 



A Strasburg journal notices the ap- 

 pearance in that locality of Sphinx atropos, 

 or, as the Germans call it, "Deathshead- 

 swarmer." The same periodical, under the 

 title of "A Honey Thief," gave last year 

 the following notice of this insect: 



"At first sight the reader will recognize 

 in the illustration which we give, a repre- 

 sentation of the large moth commonly 

 known under the name ' Deathshead,' and 

 which entomologists call Acheroyitia atro- 

 pos, or Sjihinx atropos. In the year 1873 

 we called attention in the Laudivlrth- 

 schaftlichen Zcitschrift fuer Elsass-Loth- 

 ringen, to the nightly occupation of this 

 moth, yet we cannot refrain from again 

 warning all bee-keepers against this enemy; 

 and, as they are very numerous this fall, we 

 advise all to contract as much as possible 

 the entrances to their hives. During the 

 evening hours the Deathshead slips into 

 bee-hives, presses its way, with stormy 



strength and powerful strokes of the wings, 

 to the honey-cells, sips its fill of honey, and 

 departs in the same manner. The body of 

 the moth is plump and covered with 

 smoothly-laid hair so that the bees are 

 unable to fasten upon it, besides its skin or 

 covering is too hard for the sting of the bee 

 to penetrate; thus, the bold intruder nearly 

 always escapes from the robbed hive with a 

 whole hide and a full stomach. Sometimes, 

 however, the bees succeed in smothering 

 him by crowding upon him in a mass. The 

 remains of such smothered moths are often 

 found in the hives when the spring revision 

 takes place. The Deathshead consumes 

 about a teaspoon ful of honey for its evening 

 meal. Be therefore on guard, dear bee- 

 keepers; the foe is there!" 



A new edition of "Bre/im's Thierleben" 

 (Brehm's Animal Life) has been issued by 

 the Bibliographic Institute of Leipsic. Der 

 Elsaessische Biencn-Zuechter for Septem- 

 ber devotes over two pages to a notice of 

 the work, which it introduces by saying: — 

 "It is to-day our pleasant duty to call the 

 attention of the bee-culturists of Alsace to 

 this magnificent work, of which German 

 literature may well be proud," and speaks 

 further of it as " the greatest among the 

 zoological works of all nations and all 

 lands, of all times and all languages." It 

 comprises ten volumes. 



One may be a possessor of bees and still 

 not an apiculturist; and he does not become 

 so, in the real sense of the word, nntil he 

 puts in practice, in a logical manner, all the 

 means that modern science has shown us. — 

 Ed. Thiery-Mieg. 



Societe d'' Apiculture de la Marne is 

 the name of a bee-keepers' association late- 

 ly formed in Champaigne, just east of the 

 Isle of France, in the latter province Paris 

 is situated. 



The Alsatian bee-culturists propose to 

 publish their journal of apiculture, Der 

 Elsaessische Blenen - Zuechter, in the 

 French language as well as in German, 

 provided 500 members will subscribe for the 

 French edition and pay annually 3 fiancs 

 each. At present, articles written in either 

 language are inserted in the same number. 



L'Apiculteur says that " some Califor- 

 nia honey has arrived at Liverpool, and is 

 held at 115 francs per 100 kilogrammes." 

 That is about 10c. per lb. 



The Harvest.— The Alsatian journal, 

 Der Bienen-Zuchter, says: " The year 1877 

 cannot be numbered among the good bee- 

 years." 



The old bee-culturist, Herr Breitel. writes 

 from St. Pilt, in Upper Alsace: "This is a 

 good honey year with us." 



In the Muenster Valley the yield was ex- 

 cellent during June and July. 



From the Upper Loire comes the report 

 that the honey liarvest was a good one, and 

 the number of swarms large. 



A bee-keeper residing in the region lying 

 between the Loire and Cher rivers, says: — 

 "Swarming has been very great here— the 

 number of swarms reaching 300 per cent. — 

 but the stocks are weak, and if the close of 

 summer does not find them imi)roved, not 

 one of them will see the opening of next 

 spring." 



From the provinces on the Somme, Oise, 

 Aisne and Marne rivers, as well as the 



