162 



THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Not too fixst, friend, lest we prove too muc*. 

 Truly he has not much whereof to boast. If no- 

 ble origin is to be taken into account, it must be 

 eon'u'ssed that his parentage is most humble. 

 But why banish him on that account ? How 

 often do we find the richest kernel enclosed in a 

 rough shell, or a manly, loving heart beating 

 under a tattered waistcoat I 



It has been said, and forcibly, too, that "an 

 ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ;" 

 and now if Ave can use our hero as an assistant 

 ag:unst known and acknowledged apial enemies 

 we surely have gained another point, and shall 

 save from banishment an humble occupant of a 

 nook in our domain — one which, by the way, has 

 the same right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit 

 of happiness" as a great many bipeds who not 

 unfrequently ape the characteristics of a certain 

 quadruped. But this is going away from the 

 point. The question is, can the toad be of use in 

 apiculture ; and if so, how ? 



That the moths are among our worst enemies 

 no one doubts ; and if any plan can be devised to 

 extirpate them ])artially or entirely it will be 

 hailed with pleasure. And that our hero is fond 

 of jMadam Bee is certain ; also, that he is par- 

 tial to moths, ants, bugs, &c. Now, if it be pos- 

 sible to prevent him from seizing the former, and 

 allow full scope to his propensity to capture the 

 latter, he certainly will redeem himself from re- 

 proachful aspersions. That he was created to 

 be of service in the world, and that a part of 

 his duties are to assist the apiculturist, we 

 feel quite_ certain. We know, too, that he is 

 a special friend to the horticulturist, destroying 

 myriads of insects that prey on his cherished pro- 

 ductions. And from the fact that he is frequently 

 found in proximity to Madam Bee's domicile, and 

 knowing his predilection for small game, can we 

 not secure his services by simply placing a wire 

 fender around the entrance of hives, and then al- 

 lowing him full range of the premises ? Place 

 your hives near the ground, and the pedestal will 

 form a good retreat for him during the heat of the 

 day, and when "still evening" comes on you 

 will find him on hand, and alert as a trusty senti- 

 nel. Let your bottom boards be wide enough to 

 allow a seat by the sidf of or beneath your colo- 

 nies, and he will make short work ofthe moth 

 that attempts to deposit her eggs under the edges 

 of the hive. 



And now, as friend Quinby hands him over to 

 the judge with a "recommendation to mercy," 

 I will assume that officer's functions pro tern., 

 and charge the "jury to bring in a verdict of — 

 " Zeke, you let that wood-chuck go/" 



J. "\V. Barclay. 



Worthington, Pa.^ Jan. 12, 1870. 



In some occasional cases, where the nectarium 

 of the flower is not perceptible, if the spur of such 

 a flower, which usually becomes the depository of 

 the nectar that has oozed from the capsules secret- 

 ing it, be too narrow for the entrance of the bee, 

 and even beyond the reach of its long tongue, it 

 contrives to attain its object by biting a hole on 

 the outside, through which it taps the store. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Maple Sugar for Bees. 



As I was thinking of Mr. Langstroth's recom- 

 mending sugar candy for bees, to feed them in 

 the absence of honey, the thought struck me 

 that mai)le sugar might be as good a substitute. 

 Accordingly I took some small cakes of it, -as 

 they were prepared in the spring when the sugar 

 was made, and placed them where the bees could 

 get to them and cluster thereon. They immedi- 

 atelv collected on it and commenced eating, as a 

 flock of hungry hens would attack a pile of corn. 



I am feeding quite a number of colonies on 

 pure maple sugar. I do not mean the black 

 stuff that is generally made in caldrons, which I 

 have seen so black that you could not tell it from 

 the muck in the swamps. I should think such 

 stuff (for stuff I should have to call it) would 

 be poor food for bees. But sugar made in 'sheet- 

 iron pans, as we make it, is far superior, and 

 my bees seem to devour it with insatiable appe- 

 tite. Sugar can be made much purer in sheet- 

 iron pans than in iron cauldrons or kettles. My 

 bees seem to be doing well on it up to this date, 

 (Jan. 1, 1870,) and I think it will prove to be as 

 good feed as sugar candy. In fact, in one sense 

 of the word, I think maple sugar is candy. 



As this is a new experiment with me, I should 

 like to have other bee-keepers who see this, and 

 have bees to feed, to try the maple sugar, and 

 report results through the Bee Journal. I fear 

 there are many colonies that need feeding, as the 

 decrease in colonies next spring may show. I 

 am well pleased with the Bee Journal, and 

 would not be without it for twice- its cost. 



D. H. CoGGsnALL, Jr. 



West Groion, N. T. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Non-swarming and Queen-eatehing. 



Great efforts are being made to secure the con- 

 trol of queens, in order to control the swarming 

 of bees. For evidence of the supposed import- 

 ance of having such control, I need only refer to 

 the many efforts being made by different indi- 

 viduals to attain it. 



Mr. Quinby says : " First and most important, 

 I want to control swarming and to prevent it — 

 not by giving extra room and then guessing they 

 will not swarm. I want to be certain." See 

 American Bee Journal, April, 1860, page 184. 



No one knows better than Mr. Quinbv that a 

 swarm will return to the parent hive, unless at- 

 tended by a queen. May I, through the Jour- 

 nal, tell him and all the readers of that excellent 

 medium, of a little contrivance for catching 

 queens, whether at swarming time or any other 

 when it is desired to catch one. 



I have no interest whatever in the trap, ex- 

 cept such as may be in common with any bee- 

 keeper who may use one ; but having used one 

 two seasons, I feel confident in referring to it as 

 a desirable thing for any one who wants to catch 

 queens for any purpose. 



This trap is about three inches wide by nine 

 inches long, and is made by Mr. V. Leonard, of 



