102 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUBIST. 



use theln. If they can do all this 

 I will be among the first to recog- 

 nize them as worthy of support. 



We want clear-cut experiments. 

 There is not a single beekeeper of 

 ten years' experience in all the 

 land who will tell you that patent 

 hives in the past have contributed 

 to the success of bee culture, sav- 

 ing the one invention of Mr. 

 Langstroth, which was patented. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



For the American Apiculturist , 



THE APIS INDICA. 



By a. Bunker. 



The Apis hidica has been now 

 pretty fairly tested as to its economic 

 value, by several gentlemen in India 

 as well as by myself in Burmah, and 

 it may be pronounced worthless as 

 a honey gatherer, though as a study 

 in natural history it will always be 

 interesting. This bee is so good- 

 natured that it will tolerate all sorts 

 of insects in the hive with itself. 

 Wasps, cockroaches, ants, lizards, 

 etc., are frequently found domiciled 

 with this bee. Hence, it makes a 

 feeble resistance to moths, and its 

 combs are almost sure to be riddled 

 by the moth during the rainy season. 

 The natives can always secure a few 

 pounds of honey by preparing a re- 

 ceptacle for these bees, in any conve- 

 nient place. Again, as these bees are 

 very numerous, breeding all the year 

 round, when once they have be- 

 come accustomed to a good place 

 for their nests, they return to it sea- 

 son after season. Hence the natives 

 have " bee trees " to which they 

 attach some value, as these bees reg- 

 ularly return to them each season, 

 when a little honey is stored for the 

 owner. 



Mr. J. C. Douglas of Calcutta, has 

 discovered, recently, a race of bees 

 in the Punjab, in the Hazara district, 

 of identically the same size as the 



European bee. It is not yet known 

 how valuable this bee is ; whether 

 it is a good honey gatherer, or will 

 resist moth like the European bee or 

 not. But it must prove most valua- 

 ble as a means of introducing the 

 European bee into India, since care- 

 ful experiments have shown that Mr. 

 Frank Benton's method of shipping 

 queens is available for India also. 

 With stocks of this Punjab race of 

 bees, and imported queens, one 

 should be able to build up an api- 

 ary of European bees rapidly in this 

 land where flowers are in bloom the 

 whole year round. 



I am not yet satisfied with my ex- 

 periments with the Apis dorsata. I 

 have been comparing the honey of 

 the Apis dorsata with that of Scot- 

 land and France, specimens of which 

 I have been able to secure, and the 

 little folks of the household prefer 

 the former. The flavor of the Apis 

 dorsata honey is slightly different 

 from the two specimens of European 

 honey and color lighter. There is 

 one native village near here called 

 the "wild honey village " where at 

 least forty barrels of honey are gath- 

 ered from the Apis dorsata each year. 

 The honey when properly gathered 

 keeps well the year round, and though 

 I am not certain on this point, does 

 not crystallize like European honey. 

 I am promised another swarm of 

 Apis dorsata for further experiment. 



Tongho, \Bunnah, Feb. i8, 1886. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



NOTES FROM ENTER- 

 PRISE APIARY. 



By C. M. Goodspeed. 



I got a little anxious to see how 

 my bees were, so I set out a few 

 colonies to-day for a flight. I cov- 

 ered the ground with straw and 

 set the liives down on the ground. 

 The wind could not hit us, the 

 straw was clean and dry and mucii 



