GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 19'21. 



HEADS OF GRAIN l I?P^Q g"^^lFFERENT FIELDS 



nation is as follows: The moved colony was 

 in the process of superseding its queen. It 

 so happened that the hive was moved at the 

 very moment when the young queen was on 

 her wedding trip. She returned to the old 

 stand with the field bees. 



Now as there are two likely ways and one 

 unlikely way in which that egg could be 

 accounted for, I maintain that Mr. Davis 

 has anything but a clear proof that bees 

 steal eggs. Eeasoning from an a priori prem- 

 ise, I should say that bees never steal eggs. 

 Bees do only such things as instinct tells 

 them to do. They do not reason at all. Their 

 instincts are of long standing and probably 

 have been accumulating for millions of years. 

 If the instinct had been acquired to steal 

 eggs in need, then all queenless colonies 

 would, steal eggs when hopelessly queenless. 

 As we know for a certainty that the vast 

 majority of hopelessly queenless colonies die 

 or would die without our assistance, it is ob- 

 vious that no instinct to steal eggs dwells 

 within the nervous system of the honeybee. 



Yours for a logical explanation of all api- 

 arian happenings, Allen Latham. 



Norwichtown, Conn. 



Nectar Secretion Under the heading of 

 Affected by "Alpine flora" one usual- 



Altitude, ly understands the wild 



vegetation forming a belt 

 of about 3,000 feet just below the limit of 

 the everlasting snow — that is, the plant life 

 growing in the higher regions of the Alps, 

 which stretch from southern France in a 

 southeasterly direction to the Tyrol and Ba- 

 varia, crossing Switzerland in two majestic 

 ranges. However, the Alps are not the ex- 

 clusive habitat of some species which are 

 also to be found in other mountainous re- 

 gions, as the Pyrenees, Himalayas, Kocky 

 Mountains, etc., which have similar atmos- 

 pheric conditions. 



The chief characteristics of the vegeta- 

 tion of the high region is the comparatively 

 small size of the plant, contrasting with the 

 profusion of flowers, the more vivid colors 

 of the flowers compared with those of the 

 valley, and the more pronounced fragrance. 

 Is it surprising, after all, if we are also 

 told that generally increased secretion of 

 nectar is combined with the properties al- 

 ready mentioned? 



The low growth is due to the low night 

 temperature (the time when plants mostly 

 grow") and the very intense sunlight during 

 the day. Experiments have shown that while 

 in Paris only about 68 per cent of the orig- 

 inal sunlight reaches the ground, the rest 

 being absorbed by the dense atmosphere, the 

 summits of the Alps get almost a full share 

 — ^Mont Blanc, for instance, getting 94 per 

 cent. 



The foregoing theory is confirmed by the 

 fact that the underground parts — the roots 

 of the Alpine plants — which are protected 

 against light, show a remarkably strong de- 

 velopment — more so than the varieties of 

 the plain. Thus the Alpine flowers are true 

 children of the light, but also, at times, they 

 have to struggle against low temperatures, 

 alternating witli burning solar heat. The 

 Alpine Soldanella is a nice example of a 

 cold-resisting plant, at times pushing the 

 flower buds thru the thin snow cap while the 

 leaves and roots remain still covered by the 

 cold blanket. 



As already stated, the intense radiation 

 hinders the growth of the stems and leaves; 

 but, on the other hand, it has a stimulating 

 effect upon the assimilation, and favors the 

 development of flower buds, and hence the 

 profusion of blossoms. The same factor also 

 influences favorably the secretion of nectar. 

 The following statistics prepared in the 

 French Department des Pyrenees, which 

 . counts about 20,000 colonies of bees, are 

 quite instructive. The average honey pro- 

 duction per colony was as follows: 



From sea-level to 1,000 feet, 6 lbs., 10 oz.; 

 from 1,000 to 2,000 feet, 8 lbs. 3 oz.; from 

 2,000 to 3,000 feet, 11 lbs.; from 3,000 to 

 4,000 feet, 15 lbs. 7 oz.; from 4,000 to 5,000 

 feet, 19 lbs. 13 oz. 



The above shows a considerable increase 

 in the yield for the higher altitudes. As an 

 example, it may be mentioned here that, 

 while in the low land the spur of the orchis 

 blossom of the white-flowering Platanthera 

 is filled only about one-third of its length 

 with nectar, it is more than half full in the 

 higher regions. 



Another indirect but very important proof 

 of the higher content of sugar in Alpine 

 plants is found in the fact that their stems 

 and leaves, and frequently also the flowers, 

 are colored red-violet. In some instances, 

 white flowers of the plains become red in 

 the mountains. This has been observed with 

 the common marguerite (Chrysanthemum 

 leucanteum), Pimpinella magna, etc. This 

 coloration is attributed by scientists to a 

 substance called "anthocyan." In the Alps 

 the red and violet flowers compose 63 per 

 cent of the whole flora and in the plain only 

 39 per cent. On the other hand, white-flow- 

 ering and yellow varieties amount to 33 per 

 cent in the Alps, while the low land counts 

 55. 



Many plants which under ordinary circum- 

 stances do not produce anthocyan will do it 

 as soon as their constituent of sugar is in- 

 creased, for instance, by intense radiation, 

 as always occurs when plants from the val- 

 ley are transplanted to the Alpine region. 

 Ernest Tschudin. 



Buenos Aires, Argentina, S. A. 



