TM® MimmMic;mn mmm jo^wrnHKi^. 



169 



phere anrl confining the gasses, the re- 

 sult would be a wine ; but if left to the 

 bees, they would, by a combined pro- 

 cess as above described, ripen it into 

 honey. 



THE GLANDULAR SYSTEM OF BEES. 



On page 375 (1889), Prof. Cook 

 seems to have either made a new dis- 

 covery of bee-glands, or Nature has of 

 late been making some new additions 

 to the glandular system of the bee ; at 

 least it is new to me, and I thought 

 myself familiar with all the Professor's 

 writings on the anatomy of bees ; how- 

 ever, if the Professor is sure that he is 

 correct, I can only say that so far as 

 the glands are concerned, I have 

 neither the desire, nor the evidence, to 

 justify me in refuting his statement. 

 I was greatly surprised, however, that 

 he should make such a discovery at 

 this late day, and still more so at his 

 sujjposed functions of the aforesaid 

 glands. 



" The probable function of the secre- 

 tion of those glands," says Prof. Cook, 

 " is to digest the nectar — to change the 

 cane-sugar of nectar to grape-sugar of 

 honey ;" and then states positively,that 

 " all honey is partially or completely 

 digested nectar." This would seem 

 like getting from probable to positive, 

 without much consideration. Now it 

 seems probable that that probable 

 function led the Professor to believe 

 that probably that secretion was an 

 acid, which still further led him to be- 

 lieve that i)robably the cesophagus or 

 honey-sac vpas probably a digestive 

 organ, and probably lined with proclain 

 with an acid as a digestant, jMsitively. 



Let me repeat : Acid is an inheri- 

 tant in nectar, and all that is required 

 to produce it is warmth, and this the 

 bees are able to furnish — but they do 

 not digest it ! 



BEES SUBSISTING ON DRY FOOD. 



Nature has provided the human 

 mouth with saliva glands, whose func- 

 tions are to secrete a fluid to moisten, 

 and thus to aid in preparing for the 

 stomach such food as dried meats, 

 bread, crackers, etc ; but we do not 

 need them when we eat green fruit, 

 soups, jellies, etc. ; neither do they act 

 on such occasions — Nature did not in- 

 tend that they should. These glands 

 do not secrete an acid, nor a digesting 

 fluid — only a saliva to assist in pre- 

 paring dry food for the stomach — the 

 gastric fluid attends to the digesting 

 after it gets there, and is furnished by 

 the glands of the stomach. 



It frequently happens that bees get 

 access to dry sugar ; or suppose a col- 

 ony of bees in the early spring is out 

 of stores, but finds a hive or tree in 

 which the bees have died, and left an 

 amount of honev that is cold and 



granulated ; it is theirs by right of dis- 

 covery, and tluur main source of sup- 

 plies to reproduce themselves. Will 

 they load it into their honey-sacs in 

 dry chunks, and take it home in tliat 

 condition ? No ; it is not their way of 

 doing business. The salivary glands 

 will be called into action to dilute it, 

 and it will tlien be passed into the 

 honey-sac, and taken to the hive. 

 Those glands that lead down to the 

 base of the tongue being also water or 

 salivary glands, will immediately act 

 and still further dilute, and make up 

 for loss during transition, and to aid 

 in regurgitating. 



A small portion, perhaps, will be 

 passed to the true stomach below, for 

 the body's use ; the main bulk will be 

 deposited in cells near the brood. It 

 is not digested, but diluted with saliva, 

 and thus it is in a condition to be di- 

 gested by the nurse-bees, and, in time, 

 will all be used in brood-rearing. 



NECTAR — NOT DILUTED OR DIGESTED. 



But fruit-bloom opens, and the tield- 

 bees or hone3'-gatherers fill their sacs 

 with the pure nectar ; it is thin and 

 watery, and needs only evaporation. 

 The saliva glands are not excited to 

 action ; they plaj' no part. It is har- 

 vest time witii the bees — they go and 

 come, load and unload, as rapidly as 

 possible, and deposit their loads di- 

 rectly into the cells, free from any se- 

 cretion whatever, to be acted upon as 

 heretofore described ; it is then pure, 

 ripe honey. 



In very earl}' spring, the old bees act 

 as nurses, but as the season advances, 

 these take to the field work, and the 

 nursing is assigned to the younger 

 bees, which, no doubt, keep their 

 saliva organs in constant action, as 

 they have continuous use for them. 



Mendon, Mich., Feb. 22, 1890. 



SWARMING. 



management of an Apiary Dnr. 

 ing Swarming^ Time. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY FRANK COVERDALE. 



It has been stated in the Bee Jour- 

 nal that more honey can be produced 

 by allowing the colonies to swarm once 

 apiece, than to allow no increase at 

 all ; and the latter I think will work 

 best in all localities, simply because it 

 takes a strong colony at all times to 

 gather a good crop of honey. 



In order to accomplish this, we must 

 have hives with loose bottom-boards, 

 and when a swarm issues, hive it as 

 usual, move the old or parent hive, 

 and place the newly-hived swarm in 

 its place. Put over them a perforated 



wood-zinc h()Me\'-board : then take the 

 unfinislied sections from the old hive, 

 and ijlace tliem on the newly-hived 

 swarm, and ])ut the old brood-cham- 

 ber on top of all. The swarm below, 

 where the (]ueen is,sli(ndd be furnished 

 with full slieets of foundation, as I 

 think that ijees treated in this way 

 will be more apt to build drone-comb. 

 Tlie reason for this, I think, is because 

 such large numbers of bees get to 

 work in the brood-cliamber for awhile 

 at first, that they build comb faster 

 than the queen can keep it sup])lied 

 with eggs, and then of course the 

 building of drone-comb begins. 



Keep an empty section-case close, or 

 next to, the new brood-chamber. In 

 seven or eight days cut all queen-cells 

 from the old lirood-chamber on top. 



In working with this .system, it is 

 best to have the sections protected 

 next to the old brood-chamber, and for 

 this purpose oil-cloth will answer very 

 well. Double over one corner a little, 

 so as to leave open enough room for 

 the bees to pass through. 



It will be seen that we have a great 

 number of bees in one hive, with 

 rapid re-inforcements, and no more 

 likely to swarm again than would the 

 new colon}- hived by itself — this I know 

 from personal experience. These old 

 brood-chambers on top, after the young 

 bees are all hatched, should be carried 

 away, and the honey extracted, or put 

 away for other purposes for wintering, 

 in case the fall crop should be a fail- 

 ure, and if this is found unnecoessary, 

 then extract and prepare the honey for 

 market. 



Keep your eyes on the old combs 

 occasionally ; moth-larvae will very 

 likely be in them, along with pollen ; 

 in this case, sulphur them, which will 

 destroy the moth-larva;. 



After this, if anj' swarms should 

 issue, treat them as before, onh- use 

 full frames of comb, of which j'ou will 

 by this time have plenty on hand, and 

 for next year's use, besides an apiary 

 in good running order to produce large 

 crops of honey, if the season is at all 

 good. • 



This allows only the production of 

 some extracted and comb honey in the 

 same yard ; but the extracted honey 

 proves to be full)' as profitable, if not 

 more so, than comb honey. 



USING THICK TOP-BARS. 



I used about 200 brood-frames with 

 thick top-bars the past season, f of an 

 inch wide and | of an inch deep, with a 

 V-shape below of the above depth. I 

 used 8 frames to the foot. The}' aid 

 very much in preventing brace or burr 

 combs. The space should be a little 

 less than f of an inch above them, with 

 top-bars at least one inch wide, and if 

 anything, a little wider. 



Welton, Iowa. 



