FARMERS* REGISTER 



411 



THE STRIPED BUG. 



From the New Genesee Farmer. 



Every person wlio cultivates cucumbers and 

 melons must be ac(]uainled with the yellow striped 

 bug. In Ibrnier years, we depended moat on our 

 activity in catcliing them, ciiiefly in the cool ol'the 

 morning and evenintj; but we have an easier way 

 lo manage them. In the hottest weather liiey 

 are the most active and seemingly the most vora- 

 cious ; and some days ago, when the mercury 

 stood at 80^, aware of this danger, we visited the 

 cucumbers, and found the bugs in great numbers. 

 A sprinkling of quick lime however, scattered 

 them in haste ; and we have not seen a dozen 

 since in the whole garden. 



But the large brown bug that infests squashes 

 and pumpkins, mu-jt be treated diflerently, and 

 nothing is better than decapitation. t 



From the Cultivator. 



Few insects, or animals, furnish more materials 

 for instruction or reflection than the honey bee; 

 their wonderful instincts, their labors, their social 

 regulations, are alike deserving the study and no- 

 tice of all ; and while their labors coniribule so 

 much to the comfort of man, tliey should receive a 

 proportion of his care and attention. The blind 

 Huber was the first to give nmnkmd a history of 

 the bee, its habits and instincts, worthy of the 

 subject ; and, ah hough inany entomologists have 

 since devoted much time to this matter, it is eur- 

 |)risinghow few (acts they have added to those 

 accumulated by the patient and persevering labors 

 •of the blind observer. In the management of this 

 domesticated insect, in the best mode of availing 

 ourselves of its stores without taking its lile, and 

 in the protection of it from iis numerous enemies, 

 some advances have been made, and to no indi- 

 vidual are the public more indebied on this score, 

 than to Mr. Weeks, of Vermont, whose Manual 

 on the management of the bee, is deserving of 

 great praise tor the intimate acquaintance shown 

 with the subject on which he treats, and the great 

 amount of practical information he has condensed 

 into a very small compass. It is a book thai 

 should be in the possession of every bee owner, as 

 they can scarcely fail of receiving much valuable 

 instruction from its pages, even should they not 

 be in possession of the hive he has invented, which 

 experience shows lo be admirably adapted to 

 aiding in the management of the bee, and to 

 which, as a matter of course, many of his remarks 

 and rules have reference. 



There are two methods adopted in keeping bees 

 — one, in either the common or the improved 

 hives, when they multiply by swarming ; and the 

 other, when one or more swarms are put into a 

 house or chamber, so larae ihat their labors can 

 be continued for years without swarming. 13oth 

 methods have their advaniacres and their disad- 

 vantages. Small hives are more liable to be at- 

 tacked and destroyed by molhs, or to be robbed, 

 than very large ones in which there are abundance 

 of bees; but they multiply more rapidly, and 

 startins wiih a given quantity of bees, will, in a 

 term of year?, if safe from accident, produce a 



greater quantity of honey ; at least, some experi- 

 ments seem to t^liow thru is ihe case; wiiile i)ee3 

 in houses or large, hives nHpiire less care, as ihey 

 rarely swarm, and the hority can be taken when 

 wanted without destroying ihe l)ee. Thisoljcct'on 

 of destroying the bee, is obviaied in Mr. VVeeks' 

 liive, as well as in some other ot" the improved or 

 patented ones. 



Every one who keeps bees should have hia 

 hives in readiness, belore ihe time of swarming 

 arrives. They should be made of good stufl^ well 

 seasoned and jointed, |)laned atid made carellilly, 

 so that the moth may find no cracks in which to 

 deposite its cgizs, or the young grub to hide. Hives 

 must always be kept clean and sweet, and if so, a 

 hive that has been used, is as good as one in which 

 no bees have ever been. 'Ihe hive should be 

 ready for the swarm, as, if one is not offered them' 

 soon after coming out an<l alighting, an embassy 

 is sent out lo find one, and the result is, the swarm 

 is lost. 



It is still the custom with many, while the bees 

 are svvarming, and before they alight, to make all 

 sorts of noises, with horns, tin-pans, bells, &c.; 

 but this is wholly useless, and only serves to irritate 

 the beef\ When, after once lighting, they have 

 again risen lo go away, we have seen a few pails 

 of water, thrown among them, appear to produce 

 a good eflect, caused probably by the wetting of 

 the queen bee's wings, and compelling her to 

 retreat froin the apparent shower. In most cases, 

 however, when ttie bees show a disposition to go 

 ofi, they will generally do it sooner or later. We 

 have known them to leave a good, new jiive lor 

 ihe woods, after they had formed several con- 

 siderable pieces of comb, and been apparently 

 contentedly at work for thiny hours. There is 

 usually very little danger in taking care of bees 

 while swarming, as the workers invariably leave 

 loaded with wax and honey for the preparation of 

 their new home, and are consequently little dis- 

 posed to be pugnacious. 



Many apiarians are very carcfiil to regulate the 

 size of their swarms of bees, by putting two or 

 more small, weak swarms info one hive, especially 

 when such come out late in the season. Mr. 

 Weeks says — 



"Second swarrns are generally about halfas large 

 Hs the first, and the third swarms half as large as 

 Ihe second ones. Now, if second swarms are 

 doubled, so as to make them equal in nimibers 

 with the first, the owner avails himsellof the ad- 

 vantage of a strong colony, which wijj not be likely 

 to be disheartened for the want of nuu'bere, nor 

 overcome by robbers from stronger colonies." 



He might have added, that by more fully cover- 

 ing the combs, these are better protected Irom the 

 moths where the bees are numerous, than in weak 

 swarms, in regard lo doubling swarms, Mr. 

 Weeks adds — 



"I'tie operation should be performed within 

 two or three days, [alier swarming,] at the litr- 

 thest lour days. The sooner it is done ihe better 

 and the less hazardous the experiment. As a 

 general rule, second swarms only should be dou- 

 bled. Third and Ibiirih swarms should have their 

 queens taken fiom them, and the bees relumed lo 

 the parent stock. 



The most formidable enemy the bee owner has 

 to encounter, is found in l!ie bee moth ; and these 

 if ihoy once obtain a lodgment in the hive, and 



