Sept. 6, 1906 



757 



American Ttec Journal 



sections are crowded against one side 

 and a piece of paper folded and placed 

 at the opposite side, so as to prevent 

 any lateral movement. Two or 3 thick- 

 nesses of paper come on the top of the 



^^ 



sections, another layer of sections is 

 placed on it in the same way, and then 

 a third, and finally enough paper to 

 keep the whole tight when the cover is 

 on. 



One advantage of packing is that the 

 sections can be easily taken out, in- 

 spected and replaced, and when it is 

 done the package is in as good order as 

 before, which is seldom the case when 

 a nailed cover is pulled off and nailed 

 back. 



Another is that the ants can not get 

 in. Here in the South the warehouses, 

 and even the dwelling-houses, are often 

 infested with small ants, which will 

 often succeed in getting into a box or 

 case, especially when the cover has 

 been taken off and put back. 



As to the putting of the sections in 

 the supers and taking them out, there 

 is no appreciable difference between 

 the T-tins and the strips just described. 

 It can be done as quickly with one as 

 with the other, and the same process 

 can be used when taking all the sec- 

 tions out at once. 



Kuoxville, Tenn. 



Do Bees Puncture Fruit ? 



BY JOHN KENNEDY 



I feel called upon to say something 

 under protest in regard to the editorial, 

 " Bees Don't Puncture Fruit," on page 

 653. I am now, and have ever been 

 since I began handling bees, an all- 

 around friend to the busy bee. I have 

 proven that in several articles I have 

 written, both to the different fruit-jour- 

 nals, and, I think, to the American Bee 

 Journal I have written on this very 

 subject. Some years ago quite a dis- 

 cussion appeared among the fruit- 

 growers about the bee being destruc- 

 tive to the different fruits, and carry- 

 ing the pear-blight, and the bee-men 

 defended the bee, etc. At that time I 

 also felt called upon to defend the bee, 

 and to write several articles along that 



line, for I was both a bee and a fruit 

 man then as I am now, being about 

 equally interested in each. But all 

 history, no matter on what subject, 

 when given to the public, should be 

 correct and true to facts. 



Last year I noticed my Scuppernong 

 grape arbor being depredated by some 

 unknown enemy. There was a small 

 puncture in each grape, which, of 

 course, caused the bees to flock to these 

 grapes, whether they were the depre- 

 dators or not in the first instance. And 

 being such a staunch friend of bees, 

 and believing them harmless as to 

 puncturing fruit of any kind, I was dis- 

 posed to clear them, and look for the 

 probable enemy. I noticed wherever I 

 went about the arbor I could see cer- 

 tain birds fly away in a rather guilty 

 manner, and I was ready to believe 

 they were doing the mischief. So I 

 went gunning for birds, when, of 

 course, I could never kill but one at a 

 time, as, if there were more in the ar- 

 bor, they would all fly after the first 

 report of my gun. 



Well, this went on for some time 

 when I began to discover so few birds 

 visiting the arbor, and every individ- 

 ual grape would become punctured just 

 as soon as it became about ripe, until 

 I finally began to think there was some 

 other enemy depredating those grapes. 

 I watched as closely as I could during 

 the daytime, and at last the birds quit 

 the arbor altogether; but during all 

 this time I could find thousands of bees 

 there — a bee to every ripe grape ; and, 

 another thing, every grape was so uni- 

 formly punctured by about 1/16 inch, 

 and so evenly done as if a pen-knife 

 had been used, and always along the 

 side of the grape, beginning near the 

 top or bud end and extending down the 

 side. Finally, not being able to dis- 

 cover any other enemy, I was forced to 

 the belief — greatly against my will, 

 however — that it was none other than 

 the honey-bees doing all this mischief. 

 By way of giving the benefit of a doubt 

 in favor of the bees, I will frankly say 

 I never looked for nocturnal insects. 

 The language of the Editor in the 

 item above referred to, is as follows : 



" It has taken a long time to exonerate the 

 bee from this charge [puncturing fruit], but 

 it is now found that most of the injury is 

 done by crickets and June-bugs. Prof. Gar- 

 man, of the Kentucky Experiment Station, 

 found 2 varieties of tree-crickets working 

 vigorously at night, cutting hole6 in the fruit 

 named [grapes, peaches and plums]. He ex- 

 presses the belief that these crickets are the 

 chief culprits in puncturing thin-skinned 

 fruit. One variety of June-bug was found in 

 the same business." 



Now, in reply to all the Editor quotes 

 from Prof. Garman, I will frankly say 

 I have never suspected or watched for 

 nocturnal enemies in my investiga- 

 tions, and I don't know that I ever 

 heard of the night cricket before. We 

 have here a leaping cricket that has 

 nocturnal activity, but it was always 

 looked upon as a harmless thing, doing 

 most of its mischief in kitchens, like 

 the roach, hunting scraps of waste 

 peculiar to a kitchen. We have the 

 June-bug, but I never saw one on a 

 grape or any kind of fruit except the 

 figs, and never on the fig until it be- 

 gins to sour, when about the same time 

 the honey-bees can be found in large 

 numbersalso. But the June bug never 

 remains here until August, and the 

 Scuppernong grape with us ripens 

 about Aug. 20. 



I would be very glad indeed to find 

 the honey-bee innocent of this mis- 

 chief. And, as I said in the beginning 

 of this article, I accuse the bee under 

 protest, but if the evidence is so over- 

 whelming we are forced to condemn 

 them. Even now, under the suspicious 

 circumstances, I am willing to give the 

 bees the benefit of a doubt, but I shall 

 watch the coming crop very closely as 

 it ripens in the next 2 weeks, and if I 

 find any other enemy, and can clear 

 the bees of this slanderous charge, I 

 will record my observations by sending 

 my experience to the American Bee 

 Journal. I am more than anxious to 

 find the bee innocent of this mischief. 



Another defense I gave the bee in 

 my letter to the fruit-paper referred to, 

 was clearing them of carrying blight 

 to the pear-trees, and I well remember 

 one special argument I used, which 

 was, the fact that I had seen in my 

 orchard pear-trees blighted that had 

 never bloomed ; and why would a bee 

 be visiting a pear-tree without blos- 

 soms? Also, in the same orchard, I 

 found pear-trees in full bloom with 

 thousands of blossoms and bees, that 

 never blighted, while many near by 

 did. 



I think I am ready to clear the honey- 

 bee of carrying pear-blight, but this 

 grape business makes me shake my 

 head in a suspicious manner, meaning, 

 Miss Bee, I have my doubts about you, 

 after my gallant defense in your be- 

 half heretofore. But I will hold my 

 peace until this crop of grapes comes 

 and goes, and if you don't show your 

 meanness by destroying my grapes, I 

 will embrace you as a victim of vile 

 slander. 



Selma, Miss., Aug. 8. 



Honey as a Health-Food. — This is a 16-page honey- 

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 The first part of it contains a short article on "Honey as 

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 or 1,000 for $7.50. Your business card printed free at the 

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 Send all orders to the office of the American Bee Journal. 



Our Wood Binder (or Holder) is made to take all the 

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 Address the office of the American Bee Journal. 



Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is 

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