134 



top of the pole ; with these ends, which 

 as a matter of course, must not come 

 in contact with each other, the swarm 

 is electrified. 



The entire apparatus is transportable, 

 and, when going out to catch a swarm, 

 this little box is buckled around the 

 waist like a cartridge-box. The liquid 

 can be thickened by adding sawdust; 

 but that is not necessary, because the 

 apparatus is held in a horizontal 

 position by the belt, and the hermeti- 

 cally closing lid prevents any liquid 

 from escaping. The stick or pole, with 

 the conducting wires attached thereto, 

 is taken into the hand and raised or 

 lowered, as may be required. 



The filling of the apparatus only 

 costs a few cents, and suffices for the 

 electrifying of hundreds of swarms. 

 My apparatus cost me about 30 marks 

 (about $7.00). 



When using the apparatus on bees in 

 the hive, the conducting wires must be 

 introduced into the comb, or, to make 

 it more simple, they are to be pushed 

 through all the combs at such a spot 

 where you suppose the bees have 

 mostly gathered ; the honey sticking to 

 it will not interfere with the effect — on 

 the contrary, as a liquid, it will even 

 convey it with greater speed. 



Cannstatt, Germany. 



Journal of Horticulture. 



Things Known and Things Unknown. 



A. PETTIGREW. 



Government and organizations in the 

 kingdom of a bee-hive are things be- 

 yond the reach of human knowledge. 

 While united effort and perfect order 

 are remarkable features in the conduct 

 of a community of bees, who knows 

 aught of individual authority and rule? 



The industry of the honey bee is a 

 fact known in all lands, and is the 

 theme of poetry and song amongst 

 civilized and enlightened communities. 

 It is hardly possible to form an adequate 

 conception of the industry of bees. 

 The amount of work done by a colony 

 in the height of the season cannot be 

 measured or compassed. A colony has 

 been known to gain in weight 10 lbs. a 

 day— 20 lbs. in two days ; but who can 

 tell the amount consumed to meet the 

 waste and wear sustained in the mani- 

 fold activities and labors both at home 

 and abroad of such active creatures as 

 bees? The amount of food consumed 

 by bees during a day of hard work is 

 great and should not be forgotten when 

 their industry is under consideration. 

 Even at night in summer there is a 

 considerable loss of weight by the 



escape of moisture of a strong full 

 colony. At one time many able bee- 

 keepers believed that the queen alone 

 distributed her eggs ; but many now 

 know that the bees assist in this work 

 by removing the supernumerary eggs 

 from the cells in which they are found 

 and placing them in empty cells. But 

 the question of how much heat is 

 necessary in hatching brood remains 

 unsettled. Brood evidently is brought 

 to perfection at the swarming season in 

 a high temperature, and often in Feb- 

 ruary at comparatively a very low one. 

 This is an interesting question for ex- 

 periment; also the question of how 

 much pollen is used in rearing brood, 

 and how much or how little is eaten by 

 adult bees. A few tangible facts about 

 the consumption of pollen would tend to 

 remove doubt and difficulty, and clear 

 off the darkness that surrounds the 

 subject. 



One of the greatest marvels of bees 

 is their wax-making powers. It is well 

 known that wax is a secretion and ex- 

 cretion of bees ; that the work of 

 secreting wax goes on both by day and 

 night— in the fields as well as in the hive; 

 that during the comb-building season 

 hundreds and thousands of bees may 

 be seen and caught in returning from 

 the fields with four, often six, plates or 

 scales of wax each, half excreted or 

 thrown off from the rings of the under 

 sides of their abdomens. The quantity 

 secreted, the way and apparent ease of 

 excreting wax, are alike wonderful. 

 The mysterious marvel of all is the fact 

 that this wax-producing power is volun- 

 tary — put into action by the will of the 

 bees. This may be proved in many 

 ways, but simply by putting a colony 

 into an empty hive. The bees at once 

 commence to make wax, and in less 

 than 12 hours some comb is built. In 

 honey weather the hive may be filled in 

 less than 12 clays. If another colony be 

 put into a hive full of combs the bees 

 commence to fill them with honey, but 

 the bees make no wax save, perhaps, a 

 little for cell-lids to cover the honey and 

 brood. In comb-building a great many 

 of the wax plates fall on the boards and 

 remain there unused. Their presence 

 and accumulation are signs of health 

 and prosperity. In full hives few wax 

 scales are formed and fewer lost. If 

 wax was not a voluntary secretion 

 much honey would be consumed and 

 wasted in the production of wax when 

 it is not needed. In covering cells of 

 brood the bees use materials of the 

 same color as the cells. If the brood- 

 combs are dark in color the covers are 

 dark too. Why this is done is left to 

 conjecture. 



