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Dwarf Worker Bee from Small Cells. 



I am mailing you a very small worker-bee. 

 I have only once before in my life seen 

 another like it. I have found that they 

 hatch' from a smaller cell than the regular 

 size. The bees in drawing out their comb 

 from a one-inch starter will start at several 

 places in the length of the frame; and when 

 they come together they have room for only 

 a very small worker-cell. 



This is my idea of the cause of the small 

 bee I am sending you; but as your expe- 

 rience is much broader you probably might 

 have a different cause for the dwarf bee. 

 For the novelty of the thing I should cer- 

 tainly like to have a colony of these bees; 

 but the only way I think they could be 

 raised would be to make a smaller size of 

 worker foundation. However, you may have 

 a better suggestion to offer. 



Lancaster, Pa., June 19. W. D. Sellers. 



This was referred to Dr. E. F. Phillips, 

 of the Bureau of Entomology, who replies: 



■ [This bee proves to be a worker honeybee, 

 apparently normal in every respect except 

 size. Under certain abnormal conditions 

 such dwarf bees may be raised in a bee 

 colony. In the article entitled ' ' Honey- 

 comb" in A B and X Y Z of Bee Culture, 

 it is stated that "By making the cells small- 

 er than ordinary we get small bees with very 

 little trouble."* 



Several years ago I expei'imented with the 

 production of drones in worker-cells, and, 

 as is well known, they are greatly reduced in 

 size.] 



A Pollen Ration Necessary. 



1. Can bees raise brood that will produce 

 perfect bees without pollen of any kind, 

 providing they have all the sugar syrup and 

 water they need? 



2. If bees are fed sugar syrup when rais- 

 ing queens for the market, and they depend 

 entirely upon this source of food supply, 

 would it not be natural for the bees of these 

 queens to depend upon the same source of 

 food supply? 



3. What object has a bee in life? 

 Meadville, Pa. A. B. McGuire. 



[1. Bees cannot raise brood without pollen 

 of some sort. Natural pollen from the field 

 is a great deal better than the artificial pol- 

 len in the form of meal or flour. 



2. No, this would not follow. The feeding 

 of sugar syrup only takes the place of a 

 natural light honey-flow, because the bees 

 cannot prepare the food for the young 

 queens unless they have honey and pollen, 

 or syrup and pollen. Either one of them will 

 answer an equally good purpose, altho the 

 honey would, of course, be a little better. 



3. We do not know that we quite under- 

 stand your question. We may say in a gen- 

 eral way that the bee has no thought of its 

 owner. It simply has an instinct that im- 

 pels it to gather nectar and pollen to take 

 care of its young and to carry its colony 



GLEAJSriNGS IN BEE CULTURE 



thru a period of the year when there is no 

 supply of food from natural sources. — Ed.] 



Are Bees Taxable Property? 



When the assessor was around last fall I 

 gave in my 50 colonies of bees, which was 

 put down as personal assessment, with the 

 understanding that I would not be taxed for 

 them unless it is the custom or law of this 

 state to tax bees; but now they have the 

 bill against me, or it is included in with the 

 other taxes. The commissioners meet on 

 July 6. I want to go before them and try to 

 get the bee part of the tax cut out; for if I 

 start to paying tax on bees I shall have to 

 keep it up as well as other beemen. 



Of course, if it is just, and the custom to 

 pay tax on bees or the bee industry, I would 

 not kick on the tax ($1.49 county and 32 1-3 

 cts. state). I understand the poultry busi- 

 ness is not taxed here, and I believe that is 

 one reason why bees should not be taxed. 



H. C. Davis. 



Upper Marlboro, Md., June 29. 



[Bees are taxable property in most if not 

 in every state in the Union, and we know 

 of no reason why they should not be put on 

 the taxable list like other property. If 

 they are not taxable property they have less 

 standing in law. You had better let the 

 matter stand as it is. We know of no reason 

 why poultry should not be taxed like other 

 property. If chickens are exempt, bees 

 should be also. — Ed.] 



Sweet Clover in Pastures. 



Mr. Crane is on the right track, page 836, 

 Oct. 15, when he says sweet clover would be 

 more helpful to beekeepers if grown in pas- 

 tures than that grown for hay. Everj'- sweet- 

 clover grower I know cuts the crop twice a 

 year just as the blossoms commence to be 

 valuable for bee pasturage. 



To get the best results, from the dollar- 

 and-cents standpoint, sow the seed any time, 

 then keep all weeds mowed down for the 

 first six months. The second year as the 

 crop comes up from the previous year 's roots 

 it should be let alone until some of the first 

 seed is ripe. At this time half of the field 

 should be cut for hay, and the hay stacked 

 half and half, every other load with alfalfa, 

 or clover, or timothy. This makes the hay 

 better, and leaves the other half of the field 

 for seed and bee pasture; and, besides, the 

 bees will get nearly all the honey from the 

 first half of the field cut, as it will come up 

 again and blossom, and produce honey until 

 freezing weather. E. W. Benson. 



Beatrice, Neb. 



Has No Hands. 



I have only a thumb — no hands, and I can 

 manage six or seven swarms very nicely 

 with the aid of my wife. 



William Gardner. 



Mechanicsville, N. Y., Dec. 11. 



