1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



759 



to preserve all this beauty. I have had a class of 

 forty earnest hard-working- students in entomology 

 this summer. All have made fine collections, and 

 every one had several species of these fine diurnal 

 SpMtxjitkv. The larva of this one feeds on the 

 honeysuckle shrub and snowberrj'. It is green, 

 varied with pink, brown, and yellow. To any one 

 rightly brought up it would be called beautiful at 

 once. It has the caudal horn, so common in this 

 family of moth larvsr, and which is familiar to 

 nearly all in the "' tomato worm "—should V)e toma- 

 to larva, or caterpillar. How often it is stated that 

 these fine larvae are dangerously poisonous, and 

 that one thrust with the horn is quickly fatal. Of 

 course, this is all the veriest nonsense. My chil- 

 dren have no more fear of these beautiful larvse 

 than they would have of a little bird. I am very glad 

 that it is so. 1 hope soon to give illustrated articles 

 in Gleanings, showing how to collect and preserve 

 these gems of nature, so all its readers may learn 

 to study them, and thus add to life's enjoyment. 



You ask about figures of b< etles, page 674. The 

 line beside an insect figure gives the true length 

 when the drawing is enlarged. As the proportions 

 are preserved, the line enables us to form a correct 

 impression of the insect In the figure in question, 

 the larva is not shown. There are two species 

 shown in the imago, or mature state, and one— 

 that to the right above— pupa. 



You ask if species of bidens— beggar-ticks— are 

 the same as Spanish needles. I think so. I remem- 

 ber some one, very likely it was you, once told me 

 that he called these beggar-ticks Spanish needles. 



You ask if the galls are ever a normal growth. 

 No, never, no more than is a tumor on a man. In 

 case of galls, the sting of the insect is the disease 

 which impels the fa:se growth, and disfigures the 

 plants. The insect injures the plants that their 

 own young may have home and food. Some of 

 these galls are very handsome, as witness some of 

 the oak-galls. 



What you say of bees and peaches is, I feel sure, 

 the truth in reference to bees and all fruit. Bees 

 do not injure or molest perfectly sound fruit. 



I was interested in what Mr. Kltter said about 

 moths. I think with him, that it is modern meth- 

 ods rather than the Italian bee that has banished 

 the moth. The bee moth is the only individual, so 

 far as 1 know, that may justly hold a grudge 

 against our good friend Langstroth. 



The picture and biography are very kind to me. It 

 is very pleasant and helpful to hear such good 

 things thought and said of us. It makes us anxious 

 to be more worthy of them. 



Agricultural College, Mich. A. J. Cook. 



BOME INTERESTING FACTS AND OB- 

 SERVATIONS CONCERNING 

 DRONES. 



DO THEV SOMETIMES CONGREOATE IN SWAli.MS 



IN ANY PARTICULAR LOCALITY NEAR 



THE APIARY ? 



■^ ET me give some facts that have come under 

 ^\ my own observation regarding drones. 

 '^Pt About the middle of May, 1887, while walking 

 ■*" south down the creek one day, looking at the 

 prospect for white clover, I heard what 

 seemed to be a large swarm of bees to the east of 

 me. There was no honey being gathered at the 



time; and its being so early in the season, I was 

 sure it was not a swarm. My curiosity led me to 

 the spot whence the sound came, and there in 

 countless numbers above my head were drones 

 darting hither and thither after each other, and 

 after every thing else that chanced along. The 

 area covered by them was about the same as a 

 large swarm of bees; but the intensity of the noise 

 they made was equal to that of three swarms of 

 bees. Only the lower drones could be seen. The 

 bulk of them were high in the air, 100 ft. or so. By 

 going a few rods to any side, the sound would come 

 from the common center, which showed that they 

 were all together. 



This particular spot is about 80 rods south from 

 the apiary, in the center of 30 acres of timber that 

 had been cut off and is growing up in second 

 growth. Where they congregate, the ground is 

 more open than the rest. Between that and the 

 apiary, or anywhere else in the timber, no sound of 

 bees could be heard. And now comes the impor- 

 tant part. Day after day, when drones were flying, 

 I would go to that spot, and there they would be, 

 as many as ever. I have seen them dart at the 

 devil's darning-needles, and have often amused 

 myself l)y throwing up small chips or pieces of 

 bark, to see three or four follow them nearly to the 

 ground. There were 16.5 colonies in the apiary 

 then, before I divided it. This year there are over 

 100 colonies, and the drones still fly in the same 

 place. I was throwing at them just the other day. 

 I believe nearly all the drones on the wing congre- 

 gate there. My observations have extended over 

 two seasons, and any one can see that I have made 

 no hasty conclusions. If there should happen to 

 be a doubting Thomas among those who read this, 

 I should like the privilege of dispelling that doubt. 

 And now come the questions: Do drones all con- 

 gregate at a particular spot for the purpose of 

 mating with the young queens? Why did they se- 

 lect that particular spot two years in succession? 

 Last year there were a good many other bees in the 

 neighborhood; this year very few. 



KOLAND SHERBURN. 



Lone Tree, la., Sept. 3, 1888. 



Friend S., you have given us a very valua- 

 ble contribution in this matter of drones 

 congregating in large numbers in certain lo- 

 calities. You may remember that the fact 

 has been for years given in the ABO book ; 

 but I was not before aware, however, that 

 they gathered at some spot every day or eve- 

 ry year. It might be interesting for bee- 

 Iceepers to visit the spot, to make observa- 

 tions. My opinion is, that the location is 

 favorable on account of the freedom from 

 wind, plenty of sunshine, and may be some 

 other reasons. Virgin queens would proba- 

 bly be at once attracted by the loud roaring, 

 and Ijecome speedily fertilized, with very 

 little chance of meeting drones from the 

 same hive the (jueen came from. Your ex- 

 periment of making them chase chips indi- 

 cates pretty clearly the purpose for which 

 they congregate. Very likely all the drones 

 for miles around will be found in this gath- 

 ering, and, as a matter of course, the more 

 bees are kept in a locality, the larger will be 

 this congregation. I think it quite probable 

 that such a spot is to be found every day 

 when drones My, near any large apiary or 

 apiaries, 



