stints have no longer nnich effect on him; 

 they are no longer painful and cause little 

 swelling. An onion will prevent swelling. 



THE BEST WAY TO GET BEES OUT OF A 

 HONEY BOX ? 



B. r. Seldomridge said, bore a gimlet 

 hole in the box and blow smoke into it; all 

 the bees will then go below. 



J. F. Hershey said, if tobacco smoke is 

 nsed it may infect the honey with its odor. 

 He takes off the box and puts another on the 

 top of it, when the bees generally ascent if 

 the box is rapped on; when they have all 

 gone into the new box he places it where the 

 box filled with honey stood, j 



WHICH IS BEST, NATURAL, SWARMING OB 

 ARTIFICIAL DIVISION OF THE COLONY. 



G. S. Lintner divided some colonies this 

 spring and they did not do so well; but the 

 weather was unfavorable. More honey is 

 made by natural swarming, and more bees 

 by the artificial method. He explained the 

 process of making 3 colonies out of 2, that 

 has proved successful with him. 



J. F. Hershey said for such as look after 

 bees, artificial swarming is best. By arti- 

 ficial swarming we get colonies when we 

 want them— that is, in the honey season. By 

 natural swarming we must wait until they 

 swarm and sometimesthey swarm too often, 

 and too late. 



Mr. Shaeffer said, to drive colonies one 

 should understand the business thoroughly. 

 About the 8th of June is the best time. He 

 approved of artificial swarming. In natu- 

 ral swarming all tlie young bees come out, 

 some of which are immature and wanting in 

 strength and are frequently lost. A pint of 

 bees now and then amounts to a good deal. 



PREPARING COLONIES FOR WINTER. 



J. F. Shaeffer advised all persons who 

 were not thoroughly posted, to leave their 

 bees on their summer stands. Ouce he lost 

 8 out of 11 colonies by trying to shelter 

 them artificially, You must shelter them 

 from behind by boards or straw, but leave 

 tlie fronts exposed to the sun. There are 

 alwavs fine days when they can get the sun. 



J. F. Hershey lost 50 colonies out of 102, 

 by keeping them on the summer stands. 

 Two years ago he built a sheltering house 

 for his bees, which he can ventilate; it is 

 dug 4 feet into and built 4 feet above the 

 ground, or 8 feet high, witli earth banked 

 around tlie surface above ground. In this he 

 wintered 70 colonies, some of them very 

 weak, and got them all through safely. Tiiey 

 are placed in 3 tiers, the strongest below and 

 the weakest on top; he keeps the tempera- 

 ture at as nearly 4.5° as he can; he ventilates 

 his house by tubes. When it gets too warm 

 he sometimes opens the door over night, and 

 thus reduces the temperature. He gives 

 them a chance for a fly sometimes in early 

 spring. 



On motion, it was resolved to hold the next 

 meeting on the second Monday of November. 



There being no further business, the 

 society adjourned. 



Petp:r S. Reist, Pres't. 



F. R. DiFFENDERFER, Sc&y pro tern. 



©orvcspoiidcuce* 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Another Bee Enemy. 



About one year ago I received a small bug 

 from a gentleman in Maryland, together 

 with the information that it was a serious 

 enemy of the honey bee. It was stated that 

 this bug would lie concealed auiong the 

 flowers, and upon occasion would grasp a 

 bee, and, holding it off at arm's length, 

 would suck out its blood and life. More 

 recently, 1 liave heard of the same insect 

 with the same habits, in Iowa, Missouri, 

 Illinois, and more recently, through the 

 editor of Olefmivqs, from Minnesota, and 

 later still, from V. W. Keeney, Sliirland, III. 

 In one case it was stated that the bug had 

 the power, which it was not slow to us, ofe 

 stinging quite severely. This same insect 

 has been observed by both Prof. W. J. Beal 

 and myself, at this place, resting on flowers, 

 in which it is often almostconcealed, await- 

 ing an opportunity to capture and defluidize 

 its prospective victims. 



WHAT IS IT ? 



This is a Hemipteron, or true bug, and be- 

 longs to the family Phyvfiatidce Uhr. It is 

 the Phymatn jBrosfi, Fabr., the specific 

 name erosa referring to its jagged appear- 

 ance. It is also called the "stinging bug," 

 in reference to its habit of repelling intru- 

 sion by a painful thrust with its sharp, 

 strong beak. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



This insect is mentioned by the lamented 

 Dr. B. D. Walsh (Am. Entomol., vol. 1, t). 

 141), who facetiously compares its intelli- 

 gence with that of the highest bipeds, who 



FIG. l.—Stde View, natural size. 



are often ignorant of the difference between 

 a bee and a beetle, nor could they safely 

 grasp the former. Yet this humble bug does 

 know the distinction, and holds the bee well 

 off, so as safely to suck out its substance. 

 On p. 25. vol. 2^ of the same work, this insect 

 is briefly described and its habits given. 

 Dr. A. S. Packard speaks of this stintjing 

 bug, in the American Naturalist, vol. 1, p, 

 329, and also in his Guide to the Study of 

 Insects, p. .5.52, where the insect is figured. 

 Mr. Townend Glover, late of the Agricul- 

 tural Department, in bis beautiful work on 

 the Hemiptera, p. .57, has described the 

 habits of this bug, and has given three fig- 



