19C6 



GLEANINGS IN EEE CULTURE. 



1429 



UNWELC03IE VISITORS. 

 A New Bee Enemv. 



BY SOJOURNER. 



The great earthquake and fire, April 18, 

 1906, called the writer from his apiary in the 

 Big Meadows to his home over the Sierras, 

 in California. It was di;ring this brief visit 

 to his home (some ten daysy that his apiary 

 was taken possession of l^y the unwelcome 

 visitors whose work is shown in the accom- 

 panying photograph. These visitoi's, two in 

 number, first made an entrance to his cabin 

 abode. They had no modern tools — a jimmy, 

 a chisel, or a hammer, so they used nature's 

 weapons and got there just the same. In- 

 stead of the door as a vulnerable point they 

 worked their way in at three points, boring 

 their way through inch boards. Having es- 

 tablished a headquarters, and finding the 

 cracker-box, they were ready for a stay. 

 Next they visited the apiary, a few rods 

 away, wliere, tindihg the supers to each liive 

 just placed in position, and yet empty, they 



HOLI-:> MADE THKOLGH THE WALL'; OF A HIVE BY 



proceeded to investigate, and went at it rath- 

 er systematically, for nearly all of the upper 

 stories were tapped. Those which contained 

 pure Italians were actually entered, and the 

 warmth from the swarm below was enjoyed 

 for a season. When they knocked at the 

 homes of the poor and miich-despised l)lack 

 bee their sojourn was short, for the holes 

 made there were only large enough for a bee 

 to enter or come out. It was, perhaps, too 

 warm inside, or they thought so, and depart- 

 ed for other residences to enter. 



Upon our return we found some robbing 

 going on, and at once found the cause: for 

 these ugly holes were clouded with bees in- 

 tent on offense and defense. It was a new 

 trouljle to the Ijee-man, and he was at fii'st 

 bothered to know who had boi'ed these holes. 

 When he entered his humble cabin, and found 

 therein Mr. Robber, he first learned of this 

 new bee enemy with which he must contend. 

 Shotgun in had he soon dispatched one of 

 these maurauders, when, lo and behold! it 

 was a female. Soon her nest was found, and 

 near it her companion in theft. It was a 

 week or so before his scalp was taken. Then 

 the trouble of reaching 

 the nest in the botly of 

 a lavge solid tree was 

 undertaken at a height 

 of some twenty feet. 

 Having disposed of 

 nest and both owners, 

 no trouble has been 

 given the apiarist since. 

 What the necessity was 

 for so many places for 

 homes or resting-places 

 the apiarist can not 

 comprehend, for there 

 were in all about twen- 

 ty holes made, large 

 enough to admit their 

 Ijody, and some fifty 

 smaller ones whei'e, 

 evidently, their at- 

 tempts at entrance had 

 been stopped by the 

 guards. Perhaps they 

 were intending to 

 swarm later, and had 

 sought homes for the 

 increase. These visit- 

 ors, perhaps a new bee 

 enemy, being dead and 

 buried, we can not get 

 a photograph of them 

 or we should be glad 

 to do so, and thus put 

 our fraternity on the 

 guard, for there are 

 others in the land; but 

 so far they have not 

 proved to be real bee 

 or honey thieves; in 

 fact, we do not see 

 that a single bee or 

 drop of honey is miss- 

 ing. Perhaps it was all 

 tiin)Ugh idle curiosity 

 that this work was 



