1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



207 



are all " haustellate, " or possess sucking 

 mouth organs. All bugs only suck, and 

 never devour the plant or foliage. Yet as 

 an animal may as well lose its life or be to- 

 tally devoured as to be sucked bloodless, so 

 a plant is as surely killed when it loses its 

 juice or sap as when it is eaten wholly up. 

 Thus we understand why the aphides, the 

 scale insects, and the chinch bugs are such 

 dreaded pests. Like the pseudo-neuroptera 

 and all orthoptera, the bugs pass through 

 incomplete transformations. Except that it 

 is v.-ingless and smaller, the wee young bug 

 is like the mature one. The bugs, like the 

 neuroptera, are divided into three sub- or- 

 ders: The parasitica, or true Hce, which are 

 always wingless, possess a simple not joint- 

 ed beak, and live by sucking the blood of 

 other animals. These, by preying on our 

 chickens, cattle, etc., do us serious mis- 

 chief. Kerosene oil and lard, half and half, 

 for our poultry, and a tobacco decoction, 

 one pound of tobacco to two gallons of wa- 

 ter for our horses, cattle, and hogs, will kill 

 these lice and save much to our farmers, 

 provided it is wisely and properly used. 

 The first is placed under the wings, about 

 the thighs, along the breast, etc., of the 

 birds, while the other is thoroughly applied 

 by sponge to horses and cattle, and with a 

 spray- pump to hogs. 



The Heteroptera are the true or typical 

 bugs, and always have the front wings 

 thickened at the base. The common squash 

 and stinking bugs are examples. Some of 

 these, like the chinch bug of the middle 

 West, are terribly destructive. While a 

 few, like the stinging bug, kill bees, yet 

 these last kill many of our insect pests, and 

 I believe that, on the whole, they are really 

 our friends. The " kissing bugs " do great 

 good, and very rarely sting us. These, like 

 the other sub-order, possess a jointed beak. 

 The third sub-order, Homoptera, show no 

 marked difference in the wings, while the 

 front wings are the same in character from 

 base to tip, or are not thickened at the base. 

 Here we find the aphids, or plant-lice, the 

 scale insects, cicadae, etc. Many of these 

 are grievous pests. 



As the bugs do not eat but only suck we 

 can not poison them by feeding them the 

 arsenites, but must kill them by some appli- 

 cation that kills by contact, Hke insect- pow- 

 der or kerosene emulsion, or distillate spray. 

 The latter is simply a two or three per cent 

 mixture of distillate coal oil and water, 

 which is stirred violently and thrown on to 

 the plants as a fine spray when thoroughly 

 mixed. This has worked wonders against 

 some of the scale insects in California. 



While all of the true lice and all the ho- 

 moptera are destructive pests, some of the 

 true bugs are our good friends, as they prey 

 upon and destroy other and harmful insects, 

 though many of these are also very terrible 

 pests. 



Some of the scale insects furnish us with 

 important commercial products. The cochi- 

 neal insect, which infests the cactus-trees, 

 gives us our valuable red dye or coloring 



material, while the lac insect of China and 

 Japan gives us the shellac of commerce. 



It only remains to be said that we can 

 never kill these insects by the use of Paris 

 green or other like poisons; for as they suck 

 they pass their sharp beaks right through 

 the poison, and so do not take it into their 

 blood. We may, therefore, be sure that it 

 will count for naught to use such substances 

 in fighting such pests as chinch bugs or 

 plant- lice. 



Just a word more about the kissing- bugs. 

 There are several of these. They are large, 

 and have long narrow heads. One at Clare- 

 mont is beautifully colored, though most a? e 

 gray-black to black in color. The sting 

 which they inflict as they puncture with 

 their beaks is often quite poisonous and 

 painful. I suppose the name came from the 

 fact that one may have stabbed some per- 

 son on the cheek or may be lip. I regret 

 the name, as I like to associate the kiss 

 with things pleasurable. 



THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION. 



The union among bee-keepers, which I 

 believe was originated by our friend the 

 late Mr. Newman, as a protective agency to 

 insure bee-keepers against unjust attack and 

 persecution by those who had an unreason- 

 ing prejudice against bees, has done grand 

 work in the line fir^t intended; and under 

 the exceptionally wise and able manage- 

 ment of Mr. Newman it was a tremendous 

 power for good. Now, owing to less preju- 

 dice and more and better information, there 

 is far less of that work for it to do, and it 

 may well turn some of its energies to other 

 aid. As I see how little honey there is in 

 Europe, and how wretchedly it is prepared 

 for market, I can not but think that here is, 

 as I have often urged, a splendid place for 

 both our organizations for advancing apiari- 

 an interests in America to put in telling 

 strokes. I see great dark irregular chunks 

 of honey here, selling for a mark, and often 

 more, a pound. A mark is 25 cts. We all 

 know how cheap transportation by ocean 

 steamer is; and by such reciprocity treaty 

 as may be necessary in countries like this — 

 Germany— where there is often a high pro- 

 tective "tariff, and by a wholesome elimina- 

 tion of unnecessary middlemen, I believe 

 our honey market abroad might be vastly 

 improved, both to our own and to the signal 

 advantage of the European consumer. I 

 should like to see a carload of our elegant 

 sections on the market here Methinks they 

 would go like wildfire. I have repeatedly 

 asked for honey here, only to be told that 

 they had none, or to be shown some that no 

 one would think either of buying or selling 

 in America. Splendid fruit, both fresh and 

 dry, from America, is here in quantity, and 

 sold at a price to please both producer and 

 consumer. The best fruit that we have had 

 came from America, and the dried fruit 

 from over the sea is especially attractive 

 and toothsome. Surely honey would be much 

 easier and safer to ship than is fresh fruit, 

 I hope that intelligent investigation in this 

 line may be undertaken. 



