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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



July 15, 



and I hardly need say more to represent its incomparable ex- 

 cellence. I noticed the same thing of fruit-honey in Michi- 

 gan. It often would remind me of the fragrance of the apple- 

 orchard. 



The following is another letter sent me by the editor : 



Mr. Editor: — I send you a green bug that was taken out 

 of the interior of a colony of bees this afternoon with a live 

 honey-bee in its mouth, and it took the head off the bee before 

 it would release it. I send the saire bee with the bug for your 

 inspection. Please report through the Bee Journal. 



Livingston Co., 111. John S. Sleeth. 



I was much interested in the letter of Mr. Sleeth. The 

 large beetle which he encloses is a beetle very common in 

 Michigan, Illinois, and all the States east to the Atlantic. It 

 is one of the great family of ground beetles — Carabidae — all 

 of which are known Vor their predaceous habits, and do an im- 

 mense amount of good in destroying cut-worms, caterpillars, 

 and other moth-larvie that live in the ground. Most of the 

 beetles of this family are black. All have long legs, and thus 

 can run very fast, and sharp jaws which fit them admirably 

 for the good work which they perform. The grubs or larvn^ 

 are also usually black, run rapidly, and also have sharp, 

 strong jaws. The larvie, like the beetles, are also very val- 

 uable in destroying our insect pests. The beetle sent is quite 

 an exception in coloration from most of the family. It is a 

 brilliant green, with a thorax of metallic blue, bordered on 

 the hind margin with a band of coppery bronze. The head is 

 black, while the entire under side is greenish bronze, tho the 

 legs are metallic blue. The insect is one of the most hand- 

 some of our beetles. 



I have never heard before of this insect, or any others of 

 its family, attacking bees. Mr. Sleeth says that he found tho 

 beetle in the hive with a live honey-bee in its mouth, which it 

 beheaded before release could be given. I am not surprised 

 to learn of this case, for any such insect is likely, occasionally, 

 to vary its usual diet with a bee or two. We need not, how- 

 ever, have any anxiety in this case, for I am sure that this 

 beetle will never do any serious harm to the bee-keeper, while 

 the amount of good that it does to the farmer and gardener 

 passes description. The name of the beetle is Calosoma 

 scrutator. 



We have had a serious caterpillar pest in the olive 

 orchards of Southern California the past spring, which did no 

 little harm. A large, black ground-beetle of the same family 

 and genus as the one sent by Mr. Sleeth did valiant service in 

 helping us to rid the orchards of this new enemy. This beetle 

 was observed to run up the trees, and would dispatch a num- 

 ber of the large caterpillars at one meal-time. 



SOME CALIB'ORNIA HONEY-l'LANTS. 



The California white sage, or Audibertia polysthacia, has 

 now been in bloom for four or five weeks, and still the buds 

 are yet as numerous as the more mature fruit. I think we 

 can expect the blossoms to continue for at least a month yet. 

 The California buckwheat, a shrub which is very abundant in 

 Southern California, and which has a cluster of white flowers 

 tinged with pink, is now in full bloom. The name of this 

 plant is Eriogonum fasioulatum. This flower blooms even 

 longer than the white sage. It cojnmences to bloom by the 

 middle of May, when the white sage has been in bloom for 

 about four weeks, and continues to bloom until winter. I have 

 often seen it In blossom the very last days of December. 



One of the most common honey-plants of Southern Cali- 

 fornia is a beautiful shrub, or I might say beautiful shrubs, 

 for there are several species. They belong to the family 

 llhamnaceae, and belong to two genera Rhamnusand Coono- 

 thus. One of the early llowers of the second genus grows 

 abundantly in the canyons, and blossoms very early, being in 

 full bloom the last of March. It is called the "wild lilac," 

 and not without reason, for the blossom is much like the lilac, 

 not only in color, but In form as well. The species of Rhamnus 



blossom later and are in bloom nearly the summer through. 

 They are beautiful shrubs with bright green, glistening 

 leaves which look almost as though they might have been 

 varnisht. The flowers are greenish, and quite inconspicuous, 

 but the shrub is exquisitely beautiful. I have often wondered 

 that the shrub is not transplanted generally into our yards 

 and pleasure grounds, as I know hardly a plant that would 

 more fitly grace such a position. There is another advantage 

 that would be gained in setting this plant, that it seems to 

 endure the greatest drouth, as we find it long in bloom during 

 the summers following our driest winters. 



These plants are also honey-plants, as it is very common 

 to see the bees swarming on the flowers. I am not sure that 

 they get very much honey from this source, but the flowers 

 certainly would have the advantage of stimulating breeding, 

 and may be, for aught I know, excellent for honey. 



IRRIGATING HONEY-PLANTS. 



It is well known to all bee-keepers of Southern California 

 that seasons following a severe drouth are not productive of 

 nectar, so that the honey crop is almost sure to be a failure at 

 such time. During the past winter the rainfall ceast very 

 suddenly, so that, what is quite usual, we had almost no rain 

 at all in the month of April. Our fruit-growers are complain- 

 ing seriously that their prunes and navel oranges are dropping 

 largely from the trees. In certain cases the trees are bearing 

 as heavily as ever, but in all such cases the trees were thor- 

 oughly irrigated in the month of April. In one place near 

 Claremont several orchards were — we may almost say by acci- 

 dent — thoroughly irrigated, so that the earth was well wet 

 down in the month of April. These orchards are all loaded 

 with fruit. Thus it is thought by several of our best fruit- 

 men that the April drouth, just as the bloom was falling, was 

 the cause of the fruit dropping so badly. 



Does not the failure in the honey crop In dry seasons 

 argue in the same direction ? I am inclined to believe that 

 with further observation our fruit-growers will learn that 

 irrigation in dry winters may pay as well as the wetting down 

 of the earth later in the season. It is possible that the time 

 may come when the bee-keeper will irrigate honey-plants, 

 and thus secure a crop even in seasons of drouth. Mr. Harbi- 

 son stated at the San Diego Farmers' Institute that he had set 

 out a large plantation of the black or ball sage. He stated that 

 it was a very easy matter to do this, and he found the profits 

 were exceedingly large. He believed that such setting of 

 honey-plants would be largely resorted to in the future, and 

 would make California a honey State of highest reputation. 



It seems to me that Mr. Harbison's hint, together with the 

 suggestion above, is worthy of thought and consideration. 

 Such a plantation would not need to be watered except in the 

 winter when water has no value. It is probable that a plan- 

 tation of 10 or 20 acres of sage, well watered every winter, 

 would give sufficient honey for quite an apiary. This whole 

 idea may seem chimerical to many; but such suggestions are 

 not to be too lightly treated. There may be more in them 

 than any of us think. 



THE WORK OF THE OLD UNION. 



A friend writes me complainlngly, as tho in my recent 

 articles regarding the work of the Old Bee-Keepers' Union I 

 was antagonizing some one. I wish to state that I have no 

 such intention or thought. It seems to me that none of us 

 have occasion to question or suspect others' motives who dififer 

 with us in matters of this kind. As this matter seems to me 

 one of very great importance, I wish to trespass upon the bee- 

 keepers once more. 



From what this friend writes me, I do not suppose it is 

 possible for the Old Union to act without a sanction by direct 

 vote of the members. It seems that at the last vote It was 

 directed that the Old Union should do battle In no other lines 



