181)7 



LKANlNliS IN HKK CMI/rUKP]. 



523 



luiviiig occurred April V2 In Vogcl ilu; CJcr- 

 nian hco kcepiMs (mid for thai matter iho bee- 

 keepers of the world) have lo^t out of their 

 ranks a man of rare atiility. Ho has been try- 

 ing with untiring zi^al to disclose the mysteries 

 hidden in the bee hive. It seems that, where 

 many otiiers could se.' nothing, he saw clearly. 

 With the microscope he was simply a genius. 

 In dissecting the most minute insects and their 

 organs he was a master with perhaps few 

 equals. How often have I been astonit^hed and 

 surpri-ed at ii is accompli.- h men is along this lino! 



During his life's career honors have been 

 bestowed upon him by crowned heads of 

 Europe, they having repeatedly taken notice 

 of him, decorated him, etc. 



He was honorary member of quite a number 

 of bee keepers' associations and other societies 

 for the promotion of science ot his own and for- 

 eign countries. 



For years he has been the leading spirit in the 

 annual ^Vandcrversamrnlung of GermaiUY's and 

 Austria's bee-keepers. The success of these 

 meetings must be largely attributed to him, to 

 his qualifications as a manager, his fitness in 

 general. No discord ever entered into these 

 meetings. 



In the May issue of the Bienen Zeitung Dr. 

 Dzierzon and Bergfeld sing the praises of Vogel, 

 give expression to their sorrow, and with that 

 they express what all the bee-keepers of Ger- 

 many feel. 



It seems as though I had lost a long-loved 

 friend. Vogel will always be remembered. 



Naples, N. Y., June 10. F. Gkeiner. 



THK ROBBER FLY. 



Editor Oleanings :—l have the following let- 

 ter from C. R. Decker, Tipton, Cal.: 



Prof. A. J. Coofe:— Inclosed you will find a bug- 

 which I saw catch and kill a bee. Will you please 

 g-ive through Gleanings the name and habits of 

 this insect? 



This insect is not a bug, but a two-winged 

 fly, one of the large robber-flies that are well 

 known as bee-killers throughout the whole 

 country. It is one of the robber- flies, or 

 Asilidcc. These flies are either long, black 

 insects, with tapering bodies, or else yellow, 

 hairy insects, much resembling bumble-bees. 

 They have a strong beak, and are very fero- 

 cious. I have known one to attack a fierce 

 tiger-beetle, subdue it, and carry it off. They 

 are very common in California. I consider 

 these robber-flies as very valuable. They are 

 among the best of our predaceous insects, and 

 without doubt destroy a great many of our in- 

 sect-enemies. I doubt if in many localities 

 they destroy enough bees to do any very serious 

 mischief, while it would be hard to overesti- 

 mate the amount of good which they accom- 

 plish. 



CALIFORNIA KINGBIRD. 



A few days ago a kingbird was shot at Clare- 



munt. which had a number of bees in Its stom- 

 ach. I did not see the bird, but my authority 

 Is such that I have no doubt of the fact. I 

 should have be.n very glad indeed to make 

 an examination, as I should like to determine 

 as to the sting of the bees swallowed — whether 

 the bird destroyed the siings before it swallow- 

 ed them, or whether the sting was lodged in 

 the bird's throat, or whether it was still in the 

 bee after it entered the stomach. The same 

 party killed a kingbird a few days after, and 

 brought it to me, when I carefully dissected its 

 stomach. I found in the gullet, not yet down 

 to the stomach, a large robber-fly. Thus, if 

 the kingbird does kill the bees it also preys in 

 fart upon one of the bee's worst enemies, the 

 robber-fly. The other insects ?n the stomach of 

 this king-bird (and they were a large number) 

 were ail injurious species. I think, then, that 

 we may say of the kingbird as of the robber- 

 flies, that, while they do take some bees, they 

 do far more good than harm. It is often said 

 that the kingbird feeds only on drone bees, and 

 does not take the workers. This is certainly 

 not true. They do sometimes capture and feed 

 upon worker bees. A. J. Cook. 



Claremont, Cal., June 3. 



[In large queen-rearing apiaries it Is some- 

 times necessary to shoot the kingbirds. I re- 

 member one season we lost a good many young 

 queens. We also noted that the kingbirds 

 were quite numerous about the apiary. We 

 shot them off, and there was less trouble. I do 

 believe, however, that any bird that feeds upon 

 insects (unless it be sparrows) usually does 

 more good than harm, and their lives should 

 generally be spared.— Ed.] 



HONEY FROM POISONOUS SOURCES. 



On page 376 you can't imagine why W. C. 

 Myer wants his bees to work on poison oak. If 

 it is the same as poison sumac, and I think it Is, 

 I don't think it will harm bees or man to use 

 the honey, as there is plenty of it in the 

 swamps here, and I never heard of any ill 

 effects from it. Poison ivy is an excellent 

 honey plant here, and bees just swarm on It 

 when in bloom. The honey goes in with clover, 

 and you would never know it was there. 



My 'X) colonies all wintered out of doors. One 

 was queenless, but I gave it a cell and saved it. 

 Only 4 weak in the lot. I never had my bees in 

 as good shape at this time of year. Bees began 

 to swarm the 10th— earlier than ever before 

 since I kept bees. I have, from 76 hives, ex- 

 tracted 880 lbs. of honey up to date; lots of 

 fruit-bloom honey in hives now. 



E. D. Howell. 



New Hampton, N. Y., May 15. 



[Prof. A. J. Cook holds that honey from poi- 

 sonous plants is not poisonous. Perhaps the 

 honey from poisonous sources, when mixed 

 with the other honey, bears so small a propor- 

 tion that it is only a "drop in the bucket." 

 Some of the most deadly poisons, when diluted 

 much, are perfectly harmless.— Ed.] 



