78 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



and, like all the wings of neuroptera, are 

 lace- like. They usually fold like a fan, and 

 are not infrequently marked with lines or 

 spots of color, which at times are quite bril- 

 liant. Often, as these insects fly, various 

 of them stridulate, as it is called — that is, 

 they rub their wings or wings and legs to- 

 gether so as to give the whir or chirp which 

 is most familiar in the cricket, though com- 

 mon to all katydids, and not rare among lo- 

 custs. 



Besides the insects named above, we find 

 here the long wingless walking-sticks, so 

 awkward and bizarre, as they mimic leaf or 

 twig, often in marvelous fashion; the fierce 

 praying-mantis, which, unlike all others of 

 the order, is a friend, as it feeds on other 

 insects; yet, like the darning-needle, it feeds 

 on bees. It, however, does us far more 

 good than harm. This insect, though com- 

 mon in California and the Gulf States, is 

 not found in the northern or colder States or 

 regions of our country. It is called praying 

 mantis (preying mantis would not be inap- 

 propriate), as its front legs are jaw- like, fit- 

 ted for grasping its prey, and thus its atti- 

 tude reminds one of the position of prayer 

 or supplication, or, perhaps, more often of 

 benediction. We also have here the cock- 

 roach, the flat thin insects that often infest 

 storehouses and cellars. I saw them here 

 in Berlin the other day in one of the build- 

 ings at the Zoological Gardens in such num- 

 bers as to frighten one not used to them. 

 Their flat form reminds one of a professor's 

 pocket-book, and fits them admirably to se- 

 crete themselves between boards, or in very 

 scant crevices. 



It only remains to be said that all the or- 

 thopterons, except the mantis, are our en- 

 emies. They all feed voraciously on plants, 

 and so are terribly pestiferous. Probably 

 of all the insect hosts we have no better ex- 

 amples of wanton destruction than that af- 

 forded by locusts. No country is exempt 

 from their enormous ravages, and they often 

 come in such overwhelming multitudes that 

 it takes every thing green to satisfy their 

 voracious appetites. A mixture of bran, 

 rnolasses, and arsenic tempts them, and 

 gives the death potion at the same time. 

 They are also gathered often in a rapid way 

 by use of a horse-scraper-like machine which 

 receives them into a reservoir of kerosene 

 oil from which escape is impossible. In the 

 northwest of our country where these have 

 been used with abundaiit success they are 

 known as "hopper-dozers." These insects, 

 in destroying our honey-plants, touch the 

 pocket-books of the bee-keepers, and the 

 praying mantis often lays tribute direct by 

 banqueting on the heavily loaded worker 

 bees as they come from the field. 



THE GIPSY MOTH. 



About forty years ago a beautiful Euro- 

 pean moth, known as the gipsy moth, was 

 introduced from Europe into Massachusetts, 

 near Boston. That moth is here about Ber- 

 lin and elsewhere in Europe, but is not a 

 serious pest. In America it has become an 

 alarming destroyer. It is a general feeder. 



and scarcely any plant escapes its hungry 

 appetite. The State of Massachusetts has 

 expended nearly $1,000,000 in trying to erad- 

 icate this moth, and the end is not yet. 



THE VEDALIA IN CALIFORNIA. 



Some years ago the white scale, introduced 

 from Australia, worked havoc among the 

 citrus trees of California. It seemed as if 

 citrus culture was doomed. The scale work- 

 ed on most plants, so that, to extirpate it, 

 seemed impossible. A bright thought led to 

 the introduction of a minute ladybird beetle 

 from Australia, which keeps the white scale in 

 check there. Soon the California orchards 

 were practically free of the white scale, and 

 have remained so ever since. Californians 

 are jubilant, for the little vedalia works for 

 nothing and boards itself. Since the intro- 

 duction of the vedalia other insect friends 

 have been secured, which, though not so 

 strikingly valuable as the vedalia, are yet 

 doing signal service. 



A GYPSY-MOTH PARASITE. 



As stated above, the gypsy moth does lit- 

 tle damage, owing to parasitic enemies, in 

 Europe. Another moth, more common, but 

 also kept down by parasites, is the brown- 

 tail moth. These pass the winter as par- 

 tially developed caterpillars in silken tents 

 or webs. The same parasite that kills the 

 gypsy moth works on the brown tail. It is 

 possible to collect the brown tail, but hard 

 to find the gypsy. It is hoped that, by send- 

 ing nests of the brown tail to Massachusetts, 

 the parasites can be secured that will wipe 

 out the gypsy moth. I believe that the only 

 rational way to meet this gypsy-moth evil is 

 to secure the parasites that hold it in check 

 in its European home. I have been asked 

 to collect nests of the brown tail, and have 

 already sent over 1000 to Boston, to be held 

 in the hope that the parasites may be se- 

 cured. As each of these nests carries from 

 50 to 100 caterpillars, it can readily be seen 

 that, if the parasites are general, we may 

 hope for a colony of immense proportions — 

 millions, in fact — which I believe offer far 

 more hope than do the millions of dollars 

 already expended, looking to extermination 

 by mechanical means and methods. 



CELLAR WINTERING. 



"Good morning, Mr. Doolittle. This is 

 Mr. Allen, who called on you a little while 

 last spring. Do you remember me? " 



* ' Yes. You are the person who looked 

 over my bee- cellar and said you would build 

 one in the fall, are you not?" 



