THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



23^; 



covered with clean, dry sand, about an inch 

 thick, and well trodden down, beiore swarm- 

 ing time begins. 



It is indispensable, also, that the hive be 

 placed with the entrance towards sunrise. The 

 east side of a liill is the favorite aspect for a 

 bee-garden. In this situation the ground is cut 

 into steps or terraces about five feet wide and 

 three feet high. The hives on the second ter- 

 race are placed exactly midway between two 

 placed on the first step, and so on ; thus allow- 

 ing the morning sun to fall upon the entrance 

 of all the hives alike. The terraces thus pre- 

 pared for the stand of the hive must also be 

 strewed with clean, dry sand, about an inch 

 thick. On this the hive is placed, without sup- 

 ports ; but the bottom must be laid round with 

 dry chips, or clean, dry moss, to prevent insects 

 or vermin from creeping into the hive from the 

 bottom. 



TREATMENT. 



•'Some bee-masters of Poland maintain," says 

 "M. Chyliuski, " that each colony is composed 

 of three orders of bees ; the mother or queen- 

 bee, the workers, and drones. Others admit a 

 fourth order, which are called consorts. Each 

 order," say these bee-masters, "diff''^r in exter- 

 nal character, and each has prescribed to it a 

 distinct function in the community. 



" The Mother. — This bee is the sole perfect 

 female, and is the sole head of the community ; 

 she is distinguished from the other bees by her 

 size, her body being longer, though less in cir- 

 cumference ; on the back she is of a dusky hue, 

 the belly tinged wi'h yellow, and yellow feet. 

 She eoverns the whole with materuMl love, and 

 lays the eggs which perpetuate her race. Her 

 sting is neither venomous norofFensive. When 

 takeli in the fingers she squeaks piteously, as if 

 calling to her attached children for succor. 



" The Oonsorta according to those who per- 

 sist in the existence of them, form the second 

 order. They are smaller than the mother or 

 drones, though somewhat larger than the work- 

 ers ; they are destitute of stings. 



'■^ The Workers^. — These, though the smallest, 

 form the most important class They are of a 

 blackish-brown hue, and the most active, vigi- 

 lant, laborious, and disinterested. They are 

 considered as undeveloped females. On them 

 depend the existence, safety strength, and com- 

 fort of the republic, and the profits accruing to 

 man. They are armed with venomous stings, and 

 form a sort of soldier-citizen, who fight only in 

 self-defence and that of the community ; they 

 sting but once, and that act is death to them. 



'■'■The Drones differ considerably in outward 

 appearance from the workers ; they are suppo- 

 sed to be imperfect males, and have no stings. 

 The occupation assigned them are the nursing 

 of the young by means of provisions from the 

 store-house, and the carrying the required 

 quantity ofwater for home use. Some apiarians 

 that do'not admit the order of consorts, consider 

 the drones as males, but this is not proved as 

 yet by occular testimony. When bees augment 

 the number of their drones more than usual, it 

 \6 a sign that the year will be a prosperous one 



for breeding and labor. They are re-produced 

 every spring, driven out everv autumn, and 

 may be represented as martyrs 'for the good of 

 .the community at large."* 



We offer this short analysis of the apiarian's 

 practice in Poland, which is chiefly drawn from 

 the little work of M. Chylinski. According to 

 his statements, honey in Poland ceases to be 

 the little affair it is considered in this country, 

 and becomes an important branch of national 

 industry, both the honey and wax becoming an 

 important article of export. 



Editok Bee Journal: — I have just found 

 an article on the Honey Bees in Brazil. It was 

 printed a little more than 20 years ago, and 

 purports to have been furnished by a writer of 

 Brazilian travels, hut his name is not given. 

 I think many of your readers will be pleased 

 to read the article, and I therefore forward yon 

 a verbatim copy for publication. I hope "the 

 writer has given a correct description of the 

 bees found in Brazil, and that some one may 

 be induced to import the most valuable varieties. 

 They may prove to be quite an acquisition to 

 American bee-keepers. 



M. M. BALDIilDGE. 



St. Charles, III. 



Honey Bees in Brazil. 



The owner of the house where we put up for 

 : the night, returned from the woods, shortly af- 

 ter our arrival, with a considerable quantity of 

 I wild honey, some of which he kindly gave us, 

 { and we found it to be excellent. It was the 

 I product of one of the smaller bees which are so 

 ! numerous in this part of Brazil. This was thfe 

 ; season in which the people go to the woods in 



search of honey. It is so generally used, that 

 • after leaving Duro, a portion was presented us 



at almost every house where we stopped. These 

 I bees mostly belong io ihe gGnn% Melvpona, Illig, 

 j and I collected a great many which, with soine 



other zoological specimens, were afterwards 

 j lost in crossing a river. A list of them,' with 



their native names, and afewobservatioiis, may 

 : not be uninteresting. 



1. Jatahy. This is a very minute yellowish 

 j colored species, being scarcely one-sixth of an 

 j inch long. The honey, which is excellent, very 

 ' much resembles that of the common hive-bee 

 i of Europe. 



j 2. Mather branco. About the same size of 

 I the .Tatnhy, but of a whitish color ; the honey 

 I is likewise good, but a little acid. 

 1 3 Tubi. A little black bee, smaller than a 

 j common house fly : the honey is good, but has 



a peculiar and bitter flavor. 

 i 4 Manoel cVabreu. About the size of the 

 j Tubi, but of a yellowish color ; its honey is 



good. 

 i 5. Atakira. Black, and nearly of the same 

 I size as the Tubi, the principal distinction be- 

 j tAveen them consisting in the kind of entrance 

 [to their hives; the Tubi make it of Avax. and 



the Atakira of clay ; its honey is very good. 



! *Ttiis distiuction of consorts aad drones, or imperfect 

 I males, is quite a new dea, quite destitute of physiological 

 ruth for its fouLdatioa. 



