196 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



process could the materials furnished by nature 

 be collected and converted ? And is it not 

 ascertained, moreover, that these insects liave 

 an important function assigned them in the 

 wise arrangements of nature — the fertilization 

 of blossoms in the vast vegetable kingdom ? 

 The cultivation of fruit can only be successfully 

 prosecuted, in its widest range, where bee-cul- 

 ture is extensively introduced. 



Bees, by their household economy, demon- 

 strate the importance of harmonj^ and peace to 

 the general welfare, and 



" * * * teach 

 The art of ordei' to a peopled kingdom." 



Avhil'-, at the same time, ready weapons and 

 alacrity in rallying to the common defence se- 

 cures them against foreign aggressions or at- 

 tacks. 



Wlien we see a wagon laden with grain stored 

 in torn bags, scattering the precious freight 

 along the highway, and find hens, pigeons, and 

 birds generally, running along and greedily pick- 

 ing it up, would it be right to attribute the loss 

 to these creatures? Even the teamster Avould 

 have lo blush with shame should he attack in 

 angtr these hungry pursuivants. We should 

 rather ascribe to a mouse, or to some culpable 

 negligence, the origin of the anuojnng evil 

 complained of. Just as wrong is it to cast 

 suspicion upon and rouse opposition to the in- 

 dustrious bee, for supposed injury done to the 

 fruit of the vine. Not the ifcs, but the wasxis 

 and their like, are the real transgressors, by 

 puncturing the overripe berries, so that the 

 juice can exude. Now, if bees are occasionally 

 seen to frequent such damaged grapes in greater 

 number than even the wasps themselves, we 

 should not forget that in the supposed case of 

 the spilt and scattered grain, the mouse, mainly 

 instrumental in causing the damage, would be 

 still less apt to be visible on the scene than the 

 hens and birds. 



Tlie wasps are very shrewd, and not apt to 

 allow themselves to be caught in the act of per- 

 petrating the injury. In the course of a few 

 minutes one of them will have punctured the 

 skins of many grapes; but no sooner does she 

 scent approaching danger, than she hies away 

 to some other spot, to renew her depredations 

 there, leaving the first damaged fruit to be rifled 

 of its sweets by the bees. Hence, if we destroy 

 the wasps, we shall clTectually arrest the cause 

 of the evil complained of, and shall have no 

 reason to desire the removal of the bees, or to 

 seek their destruction by poisoning — a proce- 

 dure not only uacalled for, but highly repre- 

 hensible in itself, as being detrimental to bee- 

 culture, and highly dangerous besides. 



I had myself at first great cause to complain 

 of the wasps in my own vineyard; but after 

 carefully and pcrscveringly destroying all the 

 nests which I could find in my neighborhood; 

 and killing the wasps which, in spring audfall, 

 visited my apiary in scores, I find myself amply 

 compensated for my trouble. My hives are 

 situated very near my vineyard, and there pre- 

 cisely are the fcAvest damaged grapes Ibuud. 

 Only in the remoter parts of the vineyard, near 

 the boundary wall and the neighboring thorn- 



bushes, where the winged pilferers could not 

 easily be reached, was perceptible injury sus- 

 tained, from this source, in the last few years. 



I am well assured that the bees, including the 

 newlj' -introduced Italian race, do not injure 

 grapes or other fruit, if these have not pre- 

 viously been punctured by wasps, or have not 

 been ciamaged in some other manner, go that 

 the juices exposed may readily be extracted. 

 To convince others also of the truth of this, I 

 planted some of the choicest kinds of grapes 

 near my apiary; and the fruit remained unat- 

 tacked, though bees Avere constantly passing and 

 repassing it on every hand. Both lilends and 

 foes couki thus easily satisfy themselves whether 

 the charges urged against the hive-bee in this 

 regard is well loimded or not. 



i Avould respectfully request tliose who still 

 entertain doubts, whether viueyardists or others, 

 to read pages 85, 86, and 87, of Langstroth on 

 " The liive and Honey-Bee^'''' (third edition, 

 1806,) Avhere it is satisiactorily shown that bees 

 cannot i^uncture the skin of grapes or other 

 fruit. 



In my neighborhood, hitherto, a hundred-fold 

 more has been spent for grape-culture than for 

 bee-culture; and I should certainly not con- 

 tinue to prosecute the latter if I had observed 

 that it was in the least detrimental to the former. 

 Where the ripe berries are occasionally punc- 

 tured by Avasps and humble-bees, or by pas- 

 serine birds, or are damaged by the rot, 1 do, 

 indeed, find tliem visited by the bees But I 

 could never yet perceive that these derived 

 much advantage therefrom; and in fact they 

 Avere seldom attracted thereto wlien other 

 sources of supply abounded with nectar. And 

 it is besides Avorihy of consideration Avhether it 

 i* not, in many cases, better that the beesgather 

 the extravasated and putrefying juices, than 

 that these shoukl undergo still further decom- 

 position, and thus contribute to the more gene- 

 ral difi'usiou of the disease. Nay, at the season 

 of grai)e-harvest, if the eiddemie prevailed 

 simultaneously, I Avould gladly remove my bees 

 or close the hives and confine the inmates, to 

 guard them liom destruction hj the introduction 

 of contagious matter. 



Let the iriends of bee-culture and of grape- 

 culture unite to protect both these branches of 

 rural economy from damage, by Avaging a Avar 

 of externiinalion against tlie Avasps. The ap- 

 proaching spring is the most suitable season for 

 such demonstration, because these insects are 

 then not only more readily captured, but as all 

 those then caught are fertile females, (for only 

 such survive the Avinter,) we not only destroy 

 the individuals, but prevent the production of 

 entire broods the following summer. But let 

 us not content ourselves Avith Avaging Avar 

 against this in our OAvn immediate neighbor- 

 ho.d, for I am convinced by observations made 

 at my own apiary, that these destructive insects 

 visit us in large numbers, from great distances. 

 I liave found in bushes and hedges, and on lofty 

 trees, families of this pilfering tribe as large 

 as an ordinary swarm of bees. This shows that 

 Ave have to deal Avith no insignificant enemy — 

 one Avhose strength must not be underrated. 

 No Avondcr that such extensive devastation is 



