yet unborn lice. The eyes of these 

 embryonic lice are plainly visible, 

 though the lice are very small and only 

 partially developed. 



We see, then, that our students of 

 economic botany will have to add to the 

 products of the American larch. Now, 

 it will be first-class gum and the raw 

 material for excellent honey, the Lach- 

 nus caricifex being the manufacturer. 

 This little louse, too, on the principle 

 of " handsome is that handsome does," 

 must be viewed with increased admir- 

 ation. 



Most writers on this subject, from 

 Virgil even down to the many writ- 

 ers in our present bee-journals, hold 

 that honey dew arises not only from 

 insects, but is a secretion or exuda- 

 tion from the leaves of various trees, 

 like the oak, sycamore, etc. Many 

 claim to have seen the nectar when 

 even the most careful scrutiny could 

 detect no insects, from which it might 

 have arisen. Boussingault, an able 

 French scientist, even gives us an 

 analysis of the nectar from the leaves. 

 Some writers of the South speak of a 

 profusion of this exudation on grass and 

 shrubs, so that people riding on horse- 

 back through the tall vegetation would 

 become so besmeared with the nectar, 

 that both" horse and rider would have 

 to be thoroughly washed. The exceed- 

 ing quantity is often commented upon. 

 People speak of removing honey boxes 

 till wearied out by |th e labor. On the 

 dry plains of the West, the Indians 

 were wont to scrape off this nectar, and 

 by boiling secured an 'excellent sugar, 

 at least I find such records. 



The theories as to the origin of this 

 honey dew are varied and laughable. 

 Old writers thought it the tears of the 

 gods ; others held that the sweets of 

 the flowers evaporated and afterwards 

 condensed upon the plants. This theory 

 prevails among some people even in 

 these days of scientific research. Bous- 

 singault says honey dew proper is a se- 

 cretion from the leaves. 



In the face of so many witnesses, it 

 is not well to loudly question the fact 

 of honey dew other than that from in- 

 sects, though Mr. Quinby and the great 

 Dzierzon thought it might be doubtful 

 if it ever had any other source. I ac- 

 knowledge to some skepticism myself. 

 Yet while once riding on horseback on 

 the river road, a few miles below Sacra- 

 mento in California, I broke a willow 

 twig, to brush the flies from my horse, 

 which I found covered with thick nec- 

 tar. There were no insects on the twig 

 nor any trees with branches overhang- 

 ing the shrubs. I then thought, and 

 have since, that it was a conclusive 



case of honey dew from leaf secretion. 

 Yet a similar experience with a similar 

 conclusion might come from breaking 

 a tamarack twig, and as we have seen, 

 it would be very erroneous. These lice 

 are quick and active, and might, in 

 fact do, leave their excreta and pass on. 

 Again, many insects, and these same 

 tamarack lice are examples, so mimic 

 the stem on which they rest, that only 

 the skilled observer would detect them, 

 unless he was more than ordinarily 

 careful. 



It is stated by almost all writers on 

 this subject, that sultry weather is fa- 

 vorable to the production of honey 

 dew; some authors say dry, hot weather. 

 This is as we should expect, if the nec- 

 tar comes wholly from lice. It seems 

 to me that there are enough grounds 

 for doubt, so that we may all be on the 

 watch. I should be very glad to see a 

 case of undisputed leaf secretion of 

 nectar. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Honey Prospects in Virginia. 



J. W. PORTER. 



The season here is a most fruitful 

 one, and nearly all the fruits common 

 to our zone are abundant. Blooms of 

 all kinds from the Indus tree or red 

 bud and peach trees down to this day 

 when the chestnut forests are throwing 

 out their pelicles, have been abundant, 

 but honey has been secreted but mod- 

 erately thus far. The locust trees 

 were one mass of bloom and the lirio- 

 dendron bloomed freely. 



Large quantities of honey are con- 

 sumed in rearing young bees. Can any 

 one of our older apiarists tell how 

 many pounds it takes to rear a square 

 foot of brood, or say 7,500 bees. We 

 ought to have light here, for it is an im- 

 portant question, and may be made to 

 affect the profits of our apiaries. What 

 is the use of wasting energy in produc- 

 ing bees that are not needed r May 

 we not in a measure control and check 

 this energy as we so often stimulate it? 

 Many doubtless are situated as I am, 

 and do not desire to increase their col- 

 onies, and having brought them up to 

 full working power in numbers, can we 

 not check the enormous reproduction 

 when desirable V 



Inquiry was made in a back volume 

 'of the Journal how to get rid of pol- 

 len often deposited redundantly. I 

 have myself wanted to know, If such 

 are saved and spread just a little in the 

 brood chamber, they are filled and cap- 

 ped, and would seem to be just the 



