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THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



August 



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only of great use, but of absolute neces- 

 sity, not only to the being, but the well- 

 being of the Colony of Bees.'' 



The above extract shows not only the 

 practical necessity of systematic study 

 among the colonies, but the vast amount 

 of superstition and ignorance which 

 abounded at every step. And the skill 

 with which the blind Huber sifted out 

 the truth speaks wonders both of his 

 ability and assiduity. He demonstrated 

 the special functions and interdepen- 

 dence of the queen, worker and drone, 

 besides picking up a host of facts, some 

 of which are of inestimable value to the 

 practical bee-keeper. Very interesting 

 is his account of the antagonism of a 

 young queen against a possible rival ; 

 and the zeal with which she hunts out 

 and destroys all queen-cells, is but one 

 remarkable phase in a remarkable 

 life. 



HIS GREATEST MONUMENT. 



His New Observations on Bees was 

 first published in 1796, and was event- 

 ually translated into nearly every Eu- 

 ropean tongue. Aside from the impor- 

 tant nature of its contents, the remark- 

 able circumstances under which it wa* 

 written gave to it a special prominence 

 and won for its author immediate recog- 

 nition by the French Academy of 

 Sciences and other eminent scientific 

 bodies. Huber never derived any ma- 

 terial benefit from his scientific investi- 

 gations. They were made solely for 

 love's sake ; and in this light they 

 repaid many fold. To exchange a life of 

 emiiti and uselessness for the bliss which 

 only a naturalist can enjoy; is this not 

 sufficient reward? But to Huber is ac- 

 corded much more. Though rivals at- 

 tempted to calumniate him, strove to 

 render his infirmity a proof of inaccu- 

 racy, his new discoveries, as well as his 

 corroboration of principles, proposed but 

 not fully established, are now recogniz(>d 

 as correct in all important details. No 

 other bee-lover (wer worked under such 

 seemingly unsurmountable difficulties; 

 probably no other ever accomplished so 



much; and with the cordiality peculiar 

 to the fraternity, bee-keepers of all 

 nations are proud to confer upon Fra'.^cis 

 Hu')er the well-deserved title, '-Prince of 

 Apiarists." 



Harmonsburg, Pa. 



The article, '"Roadside Weeds," page 

 139, of The Bee-keeper for July, was 

 contributed by Bessie L. Putnam, the 

 name having been unintentionally 

 omitted. 



ROBBERS AND THIEVES. 



Queen-rearing Pointers, and a Pertinent 

 Paragraph on the Subjectof Selection. 



BY W. W. M'NEAL. 



WE read much of late in the pages 

 of the bee journals about 

 honey-bees robbing the sweets 

 of another colony, but very little is writ- 

 ten of the thieving bees. 



To rob means, I believe, the taking of 

 something by means of superior force 

 and with violence; to thieve is simply 

 stealing, and stealing is the abominable 

 habit of trying to gain by stealth. The 

 apiarist whose bees are given to robbing 

 is not deserving of much glory, for this 

 is the fruit of his owu carelessness, 

 while the other may not be directly so. 

 Bees will never rob when conditions are 

 normal with all colonies in the apiary: 

 it is only when sweets have been unduly 

 exposed that they make those wild, 

 devastating attack^ to take by force. It 

 is as much to be expected of the bees 

 that they will do this as it is that watci- 

 will run down hill; yet there is no neiil 

 of fear from robber-bees if precaution is 

 taken to leave no sweets exposed to 

 them when there is a dearth of honey 

 from the flowers. 



But thieving on the part of the bees, 

 or some of the bees, is quit(! distinct in 

 its effects from that of robbing. The 

 apiarist cannot well control this even 

 when he is aware that his bees are en- 

 gaged in it. Some colonies, by their 



