120 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Nov., 



maniere que les ouvrieres."), and says, "it is ev- 

 ident that the males work like the tvorkers in the 

 hive" (" II est done evident que les males trav- 

 aillent comme les ouvrieres dans I'interieur de 

 leur habitation"). I have translated the entire 

 paper for the next number of the Annals of 

 Bee Culture. 



So you see that Mr. Drory has forestalled me. 

 He has found drone ivorkers in a very nearly 

 allied species of bees, and thus proven that it 

 is not impossible to have drone workers, even 

 among our honey bees, if one would take ad- 

 vantage of such abortions as Von Siebold no- 

 tices, and breed from queens producing such. 



D. L. Adair. 



Hawesville, Ky. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Mystery Not Solved Yet. 



Mr. Editor : I was very much disappointed 

 after reading over the proceedings of the 

 North American Beekeepers' Association that 

 assembled at Indianapolis last December, to 

 find that there was not some beekeeper there 

 that could stand up before that body of bee- 

 keepers that represented our land from Florida 

 to Maine, and from Maine to Alaska for what I 

 know, and tell us the TRUE cause of this dys- 

 entery that visited our beehives the spring of 

 1873. There has been a good deal of guess 

 work about the matter, and the question is, 

 who is the nearest right. This young bee 

 theory is entirely exjDloded with me, it has 

 nothing to do with the case whatever as I un- 

 derstand it. The bees and queens are of the 

 same nature exactly that they ever were, and 

 if the queens ceased to breed so early in the 

 fall that it left nothing but old bees in the 

 hives for winter, and that was the cause of the 

 disaster, why did not this happen long before 

 now? 



Of all the theories that have been brought 

 up, and the one that looks the most natural to 

 me, is an article from the pen of H. Alley, 

 Wenham, Mass., vol. 8, page 93, A. B. J., that 

 honey dew was the cause of it, in his opinion. 

 Shortly after, Dr. Bohru, of Alexandria, Indi- 

 ana, in his address to the beekeepers of that 

 place, gave it as his opinion that honey dew 

 was the true cause. 



I have been keeping bees for some time and 

 am anxious to learn all I can about their habits 

 and requirements, but would give more to know 

 this one thing than all their other hidden se- 

 crets combined. Hosmer may ask why the 

 honey dew has not made its destruction before? 

 There might have been an uncommon amount 

 of honey dew that year all over the country. 

 It did not sour the honey, but had a tendency 

 to physic the bees. 



Bees suflFered very badly here in this locality 

 with the disease this last winter ; there was 

 not hardly enough left of them for seed. It was 



no mystery about it this time, for the honey they 

 gathered last fall was black, sour stuff; it 

 looked more like New Orleans molasses than 

 anything else. 



Novice will say to this, " Bless my soul> 

 haven't we'told you that bees never die when fed 

 on sugar syrup." I don't believe, as a rule, 

 that we have got to feed our bees on sugar in 

 order to keep them alive; there may be times 

 when it may be benehcial. Nor I don't believe 

 that man has got to be wiser than the Almighty, 

 although there are some who are far superior to 

 him — in their own estimation. If bees cannot 

 live on honey, what were they made for ? 



Mr. Editor, I want to ask you one question. 

 Is the king bird guilty of catching worker 

 bees, or not ? If he is, shall we not shoot him ? 

 I have been told they caught nothing but lazy 

 drones ; if that is true, then long may he live. 

 I have allowed them around my apiary at times, 

 and at other times would follow them half a 

 mile to shoot them, and keep it up until my 

 conscience smote me, and then would say to my- 

 self, do they catch bees or not ? I never have 

 caught them in the act yet, for certain, and am 

 not fully satisfied in regard to their natural 

 disposition. If anybody does know, may they 

 let their light shine. 



Bees have done well here this season ; have 

 paid 100 per cent, on money invested. May 

 the old American Bee Journal live as long 

 as bees continue to live on honey ; but when it 

 gets so poisonous that neither bees nor man can 

 live on it, then WE shall not feel so proud of 

 it as we do now. 



David Marsh. 



Illinois, Sept. 38, 1873. 



The Queen-bee feels an instinctive horror 

 the sight of a royal cell. Huber. 



Honey Markets. 



CHICAGO. 



Choice white comb honey, 38@30c; fair to 

 good, 34@38c. 



Extracted, choice white, 14@16c; fair to 

 good, 10@13c. Strained, 8@10c. 



CINCINNATI. 



Quotations from Chas. F. Muth, 976 Central 

 Ave. 



Comb honey 15 @ 35c. ^ lb, according to 

 the condition of the honey and size of the box 

 or frame. 



Extracted choice white clover honey 16 cts. 

 ? lb. 



