54 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



The bee does not hear by an ordinary 

 living apparatus, yet still it is conscious 

 of sound ; but its recognition is through 

 the sense of touch— a hyperaesthesia of 

 the external organism of the bee. Under 

 the microscope you will see a thousand 

 setse or bristles over the body of a bee, 

 sticking up, that serve as so many tun- 

 ing forks. This fuzz subject to vibra- 

 tion attached to an exceedingly sensitive 

 body, serves the functions of the tym- 

 panum. 



It may be strange to say that the sense 

 of smelling is an auxiliary to the sense 

 of hearing in a bee, and accounts why 

 many sounds are unnoticed by them. 

 Let any offensive object approach them 

 with a sound, they are up in arms at 

 once. The olfactories of the bee is one 

 of the most delicate in its execution 

 found in nature. It is from an organism 

 where minuteness will not impair its 

 function. It is in the order of things, 

 any sound that attracts their attention, 

 the first thing they do is to nose for 

 effluvia to ascertain its nature. Sound 

 travels faster than odor, audit is always 

 the former that usually draws their at- 

 tention to the latter. 



In connection with our subject, it is 

 interesting to study the habits of the 

 bee robber. Its exterior is smooth and 

 shining, and without a seta on its body 

 it is evidently " deaf and dumb." It 

 hears nothing — no angry warning will 

 keep it out of any hive, for it hears it 

 not ; and in the open air it is a non-com- 

 batant, and only draws its sword when 

 you squeeze it with more than gentle- 

 ness. 



To be very minute about this matter, 

 the vibration of the setae of the bee, or 

 any insect, and even worms having 

 them, alone would not excite the nerv- 

 ous action of hearing. They are but the 

 agency to apply an electrical excitant 

 (always associated with sound) for nerv- 

 ous recognition. There is a law in elec- 

 tricity I once advocated in the Electrical 

 Review, that around all sharp points 

 (even of an organic nature) exposed to 

 the air, through any action whatever on 

 them, will attract electricity, and serve 

 as an excitant to growth, or cause sen- 

 sation, as we have it in the process of 

 hearing through the setae of the bee. 



These bristles in animal life likewise 

 serve to favor the sense of touch. This 

 is well demonstrated in the feline kind 

 that seek their prey in the dark. With 

 them they are long, and but few of 

 them, and are located on the face. 



Austin, Texas. 



Do not write anything for publication 

 on the same sheet of paper with business 

 matters, unless it can be torn apart without 

 interfering with either part of the letter. 



Worth $100 a Year. 



I cannot get along very well without 

 the "old reliable" American Bee Jour- 

 nal. When I first commenced keeping 

 bees they would swarm and swarm, and 

 keep on swarming, and that was about 

 all I did get. I was puzzled to know 

 how others got so much honey. Finally 

 I subscribed for the American Bee 

 Journal, and in that I found a letter 

 from a lady bee-keeper, telling how to 

 prevent after-swarms. That put $100 

 into my pocket the first year. 



A. M. FiSK. 



North Freedom, Wis., Dec. 23, 1892. 



Rambler, on California Bee-Keeping. 



Some parts of this State have received 

 bountiful rains, which makes the bee- 

 keepers feel happy ; though back near 

 the mountains we have had but little 

 thus far, but are at present having hope- 

 ful indications. 



I am learning something new about 

 California all the time, and find it a 

 wonderful State for bee-keeping, and 

 many portions of it are producing honey 

 by the carload, and making no noise 

 about it. 



In this portion of the State, the rapid 

 settlement of the valleys is driving the 

 bees back into the mountains. But the 

 grand old mountains are there to stay, 

 and there the apiary finds a safe and 

 profitable refuge. John H. Martin. 



Redlands, Calif., Dec. 23, 1892. 



Uniting Colonies, Etc. 



After wintering my bees in the cellar 

 pretty successfully, I began in the spring 

 of 1892 with 100 fair Italian colonies 

 of bees, but I soon saw that the condi- 

 tions were very unfavorable for building 

 up my bees for successful work, the 

 spring months were very cold and wet. 



