IS'.H 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



369 



liberty of the fields, that poUon might take the 

 place of honey to quite an extent in producing 

 wax, or that the bees could produce wax by eat- 

 ing pollen in connection with less honey, so that 

 not more than eight or ten pounds of honey 

 would be consumed, when bees had their liber- 

 ty, in producing one pound of comb. If I am 

 correct, Mr. El wood places the amount at about 

 8 pounds under such circumstances, and that 

 comes very near the conclusion I have arrived 

 at. after close observation for years. 



The comparison of bees with cattle or hogs 

 can not hold good, in that the latter never use 

 the fatty matter secreted, for any purpose out- 

 side of their own persons; while the fatty sub- 

 stance or wax of the bee is secreted only on the 

 outside of the person, and detached therefrom 

 for a separate use from the sustenance of the 

 individual bee. It does not hold true in the 

 least, that wax will be secreted while the bee 

 has all the honey to eat that its appetite re- 

 quires, as other animals secrete fat under those 

 circumstances; for if it did, wax would be se- 

 creted all through the fall months as well as 

 the winter, and no surplus ever provided or kept 

 on hand. That bees know what they are about 

 is proven from the fact that, if the hive is full 

 of comb, and from 30 to 30 pounds of honey 

 in these combs, the bees will not secrete a par- 

 ticle of wax till honey comes in from the fields 

 in the spring; while under the same conditions 

 as to honey, they will at once begin to use on 

 this honey, and secrete wax to supply the place 

 of a comb which the apiarist may chance to 

 take out from the center of the cluster. I have 

 tried this several times, and have always found 

 the bees required hanging in festoons, with ab- 

 domens gorged with honey, when in a few days 

 the scales of wax would appear on the under 

 side of the abdomen, and comb-building be in 

 progress. 



No, Mr. Mobley, bees do not secrete wax at all 

 times '• without regard to consequences" when 

 they have all the honey they need to eat, or that 

 their appetites demand, as do the hog, cow, or 

 sheep; because this wax is of no earthly use to 

 keep them warm, to supply wasting muscle, or 

 for any other purpose whatever, save for man- 

 ufacturing combs as they require; and when 

 secreted, and the chance or using it as they in- 

 tended can not be accomplished, it is thrown 

 out of the hive as so much waste or useless ma- 

 terial, and no more secreted till it is needed for 

 building new combs, lengthening out cells al- 

 ready too short, or for capping honey. When 

 neither of these is needed, bees do not secrete 

 wax, no matter how much honey they have ac- 

 cess to; and when these are needed, and sup- 

 plied, it always takes an extra amount of feed 

 and hanging in festoons to produce the wax for 

 the needed work, because wax is not kept stored 

 up in the person or on it, as is the case with fat 

 in other animals. G. M. Doomtti>e. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



RAMTiLE 107. 



HKE I'A I! A LYSIS. 



Again I have rambled to the western end of 

 tills great San Bernardino County. A good 

 horse with a staying gait, and Bro. Wilder for a 

 driver, made that feature of the journey very 

 pleasant: but a norther, with its accompanying 

 dust to face a portion of the way, was very dis- 

 tasteful, especially when we opened our mouths 

 to speak, and inhaled a handful of fine dust. 

 As we neared Ontario, however, we left the 

 norther behind us. The San Antonio Moun- 

 tains seem to shield this portion of the valley 

 from its worst features, and the people are not 

 slow to laud the f(!ature to the skies. No wind 

 here, no frost. This is the veritable garden of 

 Eden. 



Our first call was upon Mr. P. S. Douse, who 

 has erected a brand-new shop, with all new 

 machinery for the manufacture of various 

 things in wood, and especially bee-hives and 

 supplies. From the number of Dovetailed hives 

 and Hoffman frames piled up, there must be 

 quite a demand for them hereabouts. Mr. 

 Douse is a six footer, or a little more so, and 

 Bro. Wilder and I felt like quite short men be- 

 side him. Mr. Douse has had much experience 

 as a bee-keeper; and the experience that has 

 cost him the most is in losing many colonies of 

 bees through the disease known as bee paraly- 

 sis. This disease seems to be particularly viru- 

 lent around Ontario; and though Mr. D. had 

 lost quite a number of colonies, some of his 

 neighbors suffered greater losses than he did. 

 A Mr. Nichols had 3.5 colonies, and lost every 

 one of them. I was referred to Mr. P. W. Mc- 

 Fatridge as the man who could give a full his- 

 tory of the matter in Ontario. 



A few months ago the (then) editor of the 

 Apicultural Department of the Run tl Califor- 

 nlon reflected severely upon A. I. Root for 

 sending a queen to a man in Ontario, and in- 

 troducing bee paralysis into California. Mr. 

 McFatridge was the man referred to. We found 

 Mr. McF. in his cosy home among the orange- 

 trees, well up toward North Ontario. Several 

 of the household were picking those large hand- 

 some navel oranges, and Mr. McFatridge was 

 superintending the job. Like all good bee- 

 keepers, Mr. McP. was ready to talk bees, and 

 we adjourned to the apiary, which was near 

 the house and among the orange-trees. The 

 hives, however, instead of being placed out in 

 business order, were piled up near the end of 

 the honey-house, presenting a forlorn appear- 

 ance. The wind does not blow in Ontario; but 

 in the photo it will be noticed that the tall eu- 

 calyptus-trees were bending under a slight 

 zephyr, and sighing a sad requiem over the dy- 

 ing apiary. 



Mr. McF., referring to his journal, said thnt, 

 in 1889, he received several queens from Mr. 

 Root; but the one which arrived on the 2.oth of 



