50 



THE AMEEICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



[From tlie Prairie Farmer ] 



American Bee Plant. 



( Cleome JntegrifoUa. ) 



This plant lias been cultivated to some extent 

 in this neighborhood for several years past, and 

 proves to be one of the best, and probably the 

 very best honey-producing plant known. It 

 was introduced by the writer about the year 

 18G0, as a new annual flowering plant, from the 

 Piocky Mountain region, but its great value was 

 not at that time known, and was not discovered 

 till a year or two after, when the writer was 

 surprised to see the flowers covered with bees, 

 while others, in the immediate neighborhood 

 were quite neglected. The next year a much 

 larger quantity of the plant was grown, and it was 

 found that the honey stored in boxes at the time 

 that the plant was in bloom, was of a much finer 

 quality than any other. Every succeeding 

 year of its cultivation confirms this, and I find 

 that while this plant was in bloom, nearly all 

 other flowers were discarded ; even the buck- 

 wheat, which every one knows is a great favor- 

 ite with the industrious little fellows, is quite 

 deserted. The honey stored from this plant is 

 positively the finest, both to the eye and palate, 

 of any that I ever saw. 



The plant is of easy culture and looks well in 

 the flower garden. It is a strong grower, and 

 much branched like the common mustard plant, 

 though its flowers are a bright purple, and are 

 produced from midsummer until frost destroys 

 it in autumn. 



It will grow on any soil, though a rich one 

 suits it best, and may be sown in drills, or 

 broadcast if the ground is clean. Autumn is 

 the best time for sowing it, as it comes into 

 bloom sooner. It has already acquired the 

 local name of " Bee Plant' ' in this vicinity 

 (Chicago,) and as it is indigenous, I propose 

 that we call it the Great American Bee Plant. 



H. A. Tebky. 



Honey-Guide. 



CXrCULUS INDICATOB. 



The birds to which this name is given 

 inhabit various parts of Africa, and are closely 

 allied to the Cuckoo tribe, but differ from them 

 in hatching their own eggs. They are cele- 

 brated for their curious habit of guiding the 

 natives to the nests of wild bees, enticing them 

 to the spot by flitting before them and reiter- 

 ating a peculiar cry. They have a .solid, coni- 

 cal and arched beak, small head, body long and 

 straight, toes strong and short, and wings 

 reaching to the middle of the tail. The 

 feathers are]short, hard, and compressed close to 

 the body, and the skin is so thick and tough as 

 to protect them effectually from the stings of 

 bees, unless the enraged insects attack their 

 eyes. The nest of this Honey-guide is com- 

 posed of slender filaments of bark woven to- 

 gether in a form of a bottle, the neck and open- 

 ing hanging downwards ; and it is said to be 

 constructed in the hollow of trees, which the 



bird climbs like a woodpecker. The genera^ 

 color is an olive green, browuisli on the upper 

 parts, and inclining to yellow beneath. One 

 species is described as being about seven 

 inches in length, and another as ten inches. 

 They are called respectively the Little and 

 Great Honey-guide. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Saving Queens. 



Some time ago one of my colonies of Italian 

 bees attempted to swarm out, but I arrested it 

 and prevented the desertion by capturing the 

 queen. On letting her run back into the hive, the 

 returning bees attempted to kill her. I caged her 

 for protection, placing the cage between the two 

 central brood combs. Next day the same colo- 

 ny attempted twice more to swarm out, but had 

 to return as the queen could not follow the bees. 

 As the qiieen was a very valuable one, I re- 

 moved her to a queenless colony, and substi- 

 tuted for her a queen cell nearly ready to hatch. 

 Examining the colony the following day, I 

 found that the queen cells had been destroyed, 

 and the bees were building others from their 

 own brood. 



In every instance where a colony attempts to 

 svT^arm out, the bee-keeper would do well to 

 take away the queen, and use her to supply some 

 queenless stock, if he has any. Such removal 

 is a useful precaution, as, with me, in a number 

 of instances the bees killed their queens, when 

 for any reason she was unable to accompany 

 them in their proposed desertion. A. Grimm. 



Jefpebson, Wisconsin. 



[For tlie American Bee Jonrnal.]' 



A Singular Case. 



On the 4th of April last, a stock of Italian 

 bees just taken out of its winter quarters, had 

 some sealed drone brood on a comb almost five 

 inches square. I suspected that I had found a 

 queenless stock with a fertile worker. Re-ex- 

 amining a few days afterwards, I found a young 

 worker bee just hatched, and about half a doz- 

 en cells with sealed worker brood. As the col- 

 ony was in a box hive without movable combs, 

 I could not see the queen. About a week later 

 I found two sealed queen cells, and the quantity 

 of drone brood increased. Of course I did not 

 expect that a queen would be hatched from 

 these cells. Looking again a little over a week 

 later, I found one of them opened regularly, 

 and on further examination on the27tli of May, 

 I found fresh sealed worker brood. I would 

 add that the drone brood was in drone comb, 

 and not, as is usually the case in such hives, in 

 worker comb : and the cells were built on the 

 edge of the comb, as in swarming time. Did 

 the queen deposit the eggs in those cells, or did 

 the workers transport a larva into them? If so, 

 how has it happened that they made no blunder, 

 considering that there were or must have been 

 at least fifty drone eggs to one worker egg in 

 the hive ? Why did this middle-sized colony 

 rear so much drone brood so early in the season, 

 when no other hive had any drone brood yet ? 



Jeffeeson, Wisconsin. A. Gbimm. 



