AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



58 



large, as that would be, if it were passed 

 and enforced. 



It is a well known fact that there are 

 a large number of diseases that were 

 unknown years ago, especially nervous 

 disorders, lung and heart troubles; it is 

 a well known fact that large quantities 

 of canned goods, prepared foods, etc., 

 are largely adulterated ; also certain 

 injurious drugs are used to preserve 

 them in any climate ; it is also under- 

 stood that the drug mostly used is sali- 

 cylic acid, which the medical profession 

 claim is one of the most injurious things 

 people can use if they are subject to 

 heart or lung troubles. As large quanti- 

 ties are used, it is easy to see what 

 makes so many unhealthy people in this 

 country. A son of one of my neighbors 

 worked in a canning factory a while last 

 fall, and he says if people knew how 

 canning was done, they would never eat 

 any more canned goods. 



By all means, let the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union put its shoulder to the wheel, and 

 see that honey adulteration and the sale 

 of adulterated honey be made danger- 

 ous and unprofitable. 



Angelica, N. Y. 



[We refer the reader to an editorial 

 on this subject on page 39 of this num- 

 ber of the Bee Jouknal. Let all read 

 it, and then act. — Ed.] 



Some more Experience with the 

 " Punic " Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY A. C. MATTHIAS, M. D. 



Perhaps my experience with the 

 " Funics" may be interesting to at least 

 some of the readers of the American 

 Bee Jouknal. 



I procured a queen and introduced 

 heron Oct. 28, 1891. She filled the 

 frames with brood early in the spring, 

 and soon had her hive chock-full of 

 young bees — in fact, she proved to be a 

 " champion " breeder. 



On June 20, 1892, she put out a fine 

 swarm, which I hived. On June 25th, 

 swarm No. 2 came out — a strong one — 

 that I hived. On July 2nd, swarm No. 3, 

 also a good one, which I also hived. On 

 July 4th, swarm No. 4 turned out. I 

 destroyed the queen, and returned the 

 bees to the hive. On July 6th, swarm 

 No. 5, which was a small one, came out, 

 and I also returned it after killing the 

 queens. 



Swarms Nos. 1, 2 and 4 had each one 

 queen. No. 3 had 2, and No. 5 had 3 

 queens. On July 8th I picked up 4 

 virgin queens on the outside of the hive 

 containing the Punic queen ; on the 9th, 

 2, and on the 10th, one, making a total 

 of 15 queens she hatched out during 

 the season. Those picked up on the out- 

 side were all crippled, having been 

 driven or carried out. 



The swarms hived are all hybrids, the 

 Punic queens having been fertilized by 

 my Italian drones. 



SuflSce it to say, I got .no surplus 

 honey. The bees are the toughest cus- 

 tomers to deal with I ever handled ; the 

 least touch on the hive sets them in an 

 uproar ; as Bro. Root says, they are 

 " little black devils," and fully answer 

 the description in handling, that he says 

 his do. I have decapitated the queen 

 and introduced an Italian. 



The three hybrids (Punic and Italian) 

 I shall watch closely, possibly there may 

 be some improvement over either or both 

 races. 



Yes, they are good defenders of their 

 hives, but the worst robbers I ever saw. 

 They are eternally "fooling around" 

 other hives, trying to slip in, not only in 

 my apiary, but neighbors two miles 

 away have discovered them around the 

 entrances of their hives. Hereafter I 

 shall stick to Italians. They are good 

 enough for me. 



Gilboa, Ohio. 



Can Bees 



Hear?— Their Sense 

 of Smell. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY G. P. HACHENBEBG, M. D. 



The opinions expressed on this subject 

 in Query 845 (page 630), is an inter- 

 esting page of the Journal. Mr. Doo- 

 little's laconic answer in the negative 

 specially attracted my attention. 



We have reason to believe that the 

 bee has no tympanum, and if it had one 

 in proportion to its body, it would be 

 useless; and there is nothing useless 

 about insect or animal beings. The 

 function of a tympanum is to effect 

 vibration, and is an instrument that 

 only performs this office within certain 

 limits. When it is too small, a mere 

 punctum (as it would be in the bee, if it 

 existed), it would cease to be a tym- 

 panum of hearing. The tympanum is 

 like a steel spring, if the latter is too 

 short or too long, it has no oscillation, 

 and when it comes down to a mere point, 

 it is no longer a spring. 



