1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



599^ 



queen," Gleanings, Sept. 15, page 886 (my 

 italics). 



Would I be wrong in inferring from these 

 statements of yours that you " believe scent 

 to be the only factor worlh considering "? 

 . What I did say was that too much stress 

 was laid upon it. Further, I specifically 

 stated that it was "a reasonable supposition 

 that each colony has its individual odor." I 

 also said that this odor might "have some 

 bearing, in that it possibly acquaints the 

 queen of the fact that she is in a strange 

 place, and so cause fear unless this is over- 

 borne by hunger." Perhaps I should have 

 done better to say, " cause fear or arouse a 

 combative spirit," because we do not know 

 whether the queen or the workers give the 

 signal for battle, though I have reasons for 

 beh'eving that it is the queen. 



Mr. Phillips also cites exceptions to the 

 "rule." If odor were of the value he gives 

 it, such exceptions would be rare; but, as 

 we all know, they are not, hence it is proper 

 to question the extent of its influence. In 

 uniting bees he says they sometimes fight 

 and sometimes do not. If odor were as vi- 

 tal as stated they would always fight despite 

 tobacco smoke or any other smoke; for indi- 

 vidual body odor, if pronounced enough to 

 possess the importance ascribed to it, is 

 above and beyond being submerged or elim- 

 inated by any such superficial application. 



In regard to my statement that bees are 

 sometimes allowed to pass freely between 

 colonies, he suggests that I look again. I 

 will answer him in his own words: "He 

 ought to try a thing before he condemns it" 

 (Gleanings, page 126, foot of first column). 

 Because he knows nothing of it is no proof 

 that it is an error. 



He says I have only to test the caging 

 method to find out that it is the safest by 

 which queens can be given to fertile-worker 

 colonies. And you say, "It is almost im- 

 possible to introduce laying queens to such 

 colonies, A B C, p. 236 (my italics). I do 

 not find it difficult to introduce queens to 

 such colonies, and I use the "direct" sys- 

 tem for the purpose. 



The caging system has its merits, but its 

 usefulness is not due to its overcoming scent. 

 Direct introduction, by the way, was used 

 for half a century or more before Mr. Lang- 

 stroth's book appeared. Simmins only de- 

 veloped and systematized it, and brought it 

 to public notice. I have not heard of any 

 way of presenting a queen to the bees, 

 which I have not tried. 



In referring to introducing queens to fer- 

 tile-worker colonies, Mr. Phillips cites some 

 so overrun with laying workers as to make 

 it possible to pick them out by catching 

 them in the act. It is comparatively easy 

 to identify the guilty ones without waiting 

 to catch them laying, after the observer has 

 once become familiar with these peculiar 

 bees. 



If odor is the governing factor in a queen's 

 reception, perhaps somebody can explain 

 why several alien queens can be simultane- 

 ously turned loose into a colony of bees and 



all be peaceably received. They can't? Oh!' 

 yes, they can. 



Expunge the odor factor, and still nearly 

 every example cited by Mr. Phillips is sus- 

 ceptible of a rational explanation. I do not 

 for an instant pretend to be above error in 

 my conclusions about odor; but I have yet 

 to see any convincing proojf that it exists to 

 the degree taught, or that it is of the im- 

 portance ascribed to it. If it is so power- 

 ful a factor, how can the multitude of con- 

 stantly recurring exceotions be explained? 



As I have said before, we are so imbued 

 with the teachings of our predecessors, 

 whether they are right or wrong, that it is 

 almost impossible for us to study the bees 

 with an unbiased mind; but until we do that 

 we need not expect to advance very far in 

 accurate knowledge of bee life. 



Providence, R. I., March 20. 



[This article has been held in order that 

 the points at issue can be tested out among 

 the bees. If the scent factor has bean over- 

 valued (and perhaps it has) let's know it. — 

 Ed.] 



»«»t» 



A COMB-HONEY EJECTOR. 



A Device to Push the Filled Sections Out of 

 Supers without Breaking Them. 



BY HENRY STEWART. 



In packing honey I have used almost all 

 kinds of supers and many different devices 

 for getting the honey out of them, but I 

 have never been quite suited with any 

 method I have ever used except this one. 



For convenience, both on the part of the 

 bees and of the bee-keeper; for simplicity, 

 cheapness, durability, and profit, my choice 

 of all supers is the T super, with the bee- 

 space at the bottom, the quilt covering the 



sections, the flat cover and the 20-lb. stone 

 —well, no, not the stone. I use shade- 

 boards instead. I also use staples as T 

 rests in the bottom of the super. 



My method of emptying these has been to 

 elevate the super, bottom upward, on the 

 edge of two blocks, and with a follower and 

 lever force the contents down and out. My 

 present method, which I put into practice 



