1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



251 



Rend before the LewlsburK tN. V.) Scientific Soc. 



Do Bees Puncture Grapes ? 



PROF. F. W. TUSTIN. 



The question as to whether the honey 

 bee, Apis mctlifica, punctures and tears 

 open the skin of fruit, and especially 

 that of the grape, has called forth con- 

 siderable discussion. That a matter 

 apparently so simple should, for so 

 long a tinie, be in an unsettled condi- 

 tion, seems a little surprising. 



Bee-keepers generally deny that 

 bees do any injury to sound fruit, and 

 as they doubtless'best understand the 

 habits of their favorites, they make a 

 strong argument in their own behalf. 



Fruit-growers, on the other hand, 

 earnestly claim that bees do them 

 great harm. They find these insects 

 industriously engaged in sipping the 

 juices of bursted grapes, and in their 

 vexation over the lost fruit, and with- 

 out much discrimination, they charge 

 the whole work— both the rupturing 

 of the skin, as well as the extracting 

 of the j uices— upon the busy yet harm- 

 less insect. 



Here we have the chief point of in- 

 terest in this question— the fruit- 

 grower, from personal considerations, 

 demanding that the bees shall be de- 

 stroyed or kept within bounds ; — the 

 apiarist denying that his bees do any 

 harm, and that therefore they should 

 not in any way be restrained. 



The subject was assigned to me to 

 report upon before the society, at a 

 time when I had not the opportunity 

 of giving it any special attention, and 

 yet in a general way I have observed 

 for several years that bees have been 

 very numerous about my vines, and 

 that many a grape was robbed by them 

 of its sweet juices and rich pulp. 



That bees have increased in num- 

 bers and that they are fond of feed- 

 ing upon the luscious contents of a 

 ripened bunch of grapes are well ad- 

 mitted facts. The food most natural 

 to the bee is the fluid secretions con- 

 tained in the nectaries of various 

 kinds of flowers, and the pollen dust 

 of the anthers. But when flowers are 

 scarce, or when they have passed 

 their season— since the bee must live 

 and gather honey all the day— its in- 

 stinct leads it to other saccharine sub- 

 stances, and on this account, doubt- 

 less, it takes to the ripened peach, 

 grape, pear, and the like. 



The bee is furnishd with organs, 

 enabling it readily to gather its food. 

 In the first place it has a double stom- 

 ach, or, more correctly, two stomachs, 

 the first of which serves as a recepta- 

 cle or pouch for the fluid matter which 

 it gathers from the flowers ; this fluid 

 matter thus gathered and stored up 

 does not appear to differ from honey. 

 In this honey-stomach no digestion of 

 the honey is known to take place, and 

 it seems to serve the only office of 

 holding the gathered honey, until the 

 bee returns home. The coatings of 

 this stomach being furnished with the 

 power of muscular reaction, the honey 

 is readily emptied into the cells of the 

 comb. 



To extract the honey-fluid from the 

 flowers and introduce it into this stom- 

 ach, the bee is furnished with what 

 may be regarded asan elongated tongue 

 formed by a prolongation of wliat 

 with us answers to the lower lip. This 

 tongue is flexible, and capable of a 

 certain degree of extension. It is not 

 a hollow tube with a suction arrange- 

 ment at the end, to enable the bee to 

 suck the fluid of the flower into its 

 stomach, as has commonly been sup- 

 posed. But in gathering honey the 

 bee inserts its tongue into the nectary 

 of the flower, and whatever honey may 

 adhere to the surface of the tongue 

 is introduced into its mouth and ulti- 

 mately finds its way into the stomach. 

 It is in this way that the bee gathers 

 its honey. This tongue is a very del- 



icate organ and has no puncturing or 

 penetrating power. 



To further enable the bee to accom- 

 plish its work the mouth is furnished 

 with "feelers" or palpi— four in num- 

 ber. These are for the insect, its or- 

 gans of scent. There are, besides, 2 

 strong mandibles or jaws, furnished 

 with 2 teeth. These parts are not 

 used, as in vertebrates, for masticat- 

 ing the food, but for a variety of other 

 purposes. For instance, sometimes 

 the parts of the flower may be so com- 

 pressed that ready access to the nec- 

 taries cannot be obtained, and it may 

 be necessary for the bee to push apart 

 or to cut away portions of the floral 

 envelopes, so as to gain the honey. 

 And in the work of preparing a place 

 for the building of the nest, or the 

 making of the comb, it may be neces- 

 sary to break away or to cut through 

 hard substances. In the accomplish- 

 ment of these things the mandibles 

 furnish the requisite power, while the 

 palpi or feelers tell the bee what is to 

 be done, and how and where to do it. 



That these mandibles have, for the 

 size of the insect, considerable power, 

 may be seen by considering for a mo- 

 ment some of the genera allied to the 

 common honey bee. 



Thus, instances are known where 

 the humble bee has been shut up 

 within the corolla of flowers, and he 

 has cut his way through the walls of 

 his prison. There is the so-called bor- 

 ing bee, which, with its mandibles, 

 often skillfully cuts its way for a con- 

 siderable distance through dry timber. 

 Then the mason bee detaches and 

 gathers together grains of sand and 

 by the aid of a mucous secretion works 

 these up into cells of an almost im- 

 perishable kind. So that the mandi- 

 bular power of the bee family is quite 

 conspicuous, and it is a power to be 

 exerted according as the exigencies of 

 the case may require. 



The sting of the bee is an organ in 

 its structure and in its use quite dif- 

 ferent from the mandibles. It is sit- 

 uated in the posterior part of the body 

 and is a finely pointed instrument 

 with an open tube extending along its 

 entire length. At the root of the 

 sting is a little sac in which is con- 

 tained the poisonous fluid, which the 

 bee injects through this tube into the 

 wound which he has made. The ob- 

 ject here is to provide the insect wiih 

 the necessary means of self-defense 

 when it is exasperated or attacked, 

 and, so far as it is known, it is only 

 under these circumstances that the 

 sting is used. It is strictly an organ 

 of defense, and in no way used as a 

 means to assist in the gathering of the 

 food. When the sting is used it sim- 

 ply punctures the surface to which it 

 is applied, unless that surface be pow- 

 erful enough to resist the fine point of 

 the sting. So that with reference to 

 the question before us the opinion is 

 generally held that, in their ravages 

 upon grapes, if bees ever do tear open 

 the skin, they certainly do not and 

 cannot do this with their sting, this 

 organ having no power to tear or cut 

 open, but only to penetrate or punct- 

 ure easily yielding substances. 



But it is not certainly known that 

 the bee does ever tear open the skin 

 of the grape. For what has been 

 stated, its mandibular power is with- 

 out donbt sufficient to enable this to 

 be done, and that it is possible may 

 not be doubted. But there is want of 

 evidence that the bee ever does this. 



I have never seen a bee in the act of 

 teartng open the skin of a sound 

 grape, although I have seen repeated 

 instances of one, and indeed several 

 bees together, luxuriating upon the 

 sweet juices of a Delaware or a Con- 

 cord, 



And so far as I have been able to 

 correspond with them, I find that the 

 authorities upon this subject quite 

 unanimously agree that there is no 

 evidence against the bee that it tears 

 open the grape, although this assidu- 

 ous little honey-worker is ready to ap- 

 propriate the sweet substance of the 

 grape, the peach, and kindred fruits, 

 when once the skin has been broken 

 from any cause, whether on account of 

 a defect in the growth of the fruit, or 

 through disease, or by reason of an 



excess of juices in the fruit whereby 

 the skin not being able to yield suffi- 

 ciently must burst, or through the 

 sting of the wasp or Other insects. 



Prof. A. Packard, of Brown Uni- 

 versity, says that though he has no 

 evidence that they do so, yet his " im- 

 pression is that bees will puncture and 

 bite open grapes," but this impression, 

 he says, is founded simply on this, 

 that he sees " no reason from the 

 structure of the mouth why they 

 could not do so." 



But the observations and experi- 

 ments of the Secretary of the Cincin- 

 nati Entomological Society are more 

 to the point. He says that if you lay 

 a ripe bunch of grapes with sound 

 berries in front of the hivej with the 

 entrance thereto contracted to % orto 

 %of an inch, so that every bee going 

 out or coming home will have to run 

 over or around the bunch, you will no- 

 tice that they try their very best to 

 attack the grapes, while every berry 

 remains intact. He found the same 

 true of a sound ripe Bartlette pear. 

 After he had satisfied himself of the 

 inability of the bee to penetrate the 

 skin of the grape, he then punctured 

 each berry with a pin, and in an hour 

 or two nothing remained but the skins 

 and the stem. 



Dr. S. S. Rathvon, editor of the 

 Lancaster Farmer, says : " I have 

 grown grapes (Isabellas, Clintons, 

 Concords, Hartford Prolifics, Marthas, 

 and Delawares) upon my premises for 

 30 years, and yet I have never ob- 

 served a bee cutting or tearing open 

 any of them. From the organic 

 structure of the mouth of the bee it is 

 very probable that they can lacerate 

 skins of the more delicate grapes, and 

 the testimony from intelligent sources 

 seems to be so strong that I do not 

 feel like ignoring it, and yet I feel 

 that many observations in that direc- 

 tion are too superficial to be entirely 

 reliable I have not conversed with a 

 single person who says he ever saw a 

 bee in the act of cutting open grapes. 

 But the grapes are found ruptured, 

 and the bees do work upon them, and 

 that seems to be the bulk of the testi- 

 mony." 



But the best authority, Prof. A. J. 

 Cook, of Lansing, Mich., says : "From 

 close observation for many years, 

 from careful experiments seemingly 

 crucial, and from a vast amount of 

 testimony, I feel sure that if bees 

 ever attacked sound grapes it is ex- 

 ceptional ; some scientists say that 

 they do at times — so that I cannot say 

 they do not. But I am sure it is very 

 rarely, if ever, the case. I have lived 

 for several years in the midst of vine- 

 yards, and where bees were very nu- 

 merous, but I never saw bees tear 

 open a sound grape. If bird or wasp 

 or disease break the grapes, and the 

 bees find no other stores, they will lap 

 up the oozing juice. At such time I 

 have broken grapes, and when they 

 were being supped by bees, I would 

 remove them and place sound grapes 

 in their stead, when the bees would at 

 once stop work." 



Our conclusions from observations, 

 and from the testimony of others are 

 then — 



1. That the bee cannot puncture 

 the skin of the grape with either its 

 tongue or its sting. 



2. That it is possible that bees may 

 tear open grapes from the fact that 

 they possess the necessary mandibular 

 power. 



3. We believe that they rarely, if 

 ever, do this, and that their depreda- 

 tions upon grapes are confined to cases 

 where already from other causes the 

 skin has been ruptured. 



The complaints of bees destroying 

 grapes and other kinds of fruit are 

 more frequent than they were 30 years 

 ago, and possibly for the reason that 

 in later times the trees and shrubs 

 and plants from which bees have been 

 in the habit of gathering their honey 

 have been relatively decreasing in 

 number, while at the same time the 

 culture of bees has beeu increasing all 

 over the country. The remedy for 

 such complaints should be found not 

 in destroying the bees, nor in advo- 

 cating their restriction, for honey we 

 must nave and it is quite as desirable 



any p( 

 way will be for the bee-keeper to pro- 

 vide, in places conveniently near 

 the hives, the necessary clover and 

 (lower-bearing plants from which his 

 bees may derive their food. 



Imbued with its instinct of indus- 

 try, the bee will not be idle. It will 

 gather its stores from flowers if it 

 can ; from various fruits, peaches, 

 grapes and pears, if it must. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Improvement of the Race of Bees. 



REV. E. L. BRIGGS. 



Dear Editor : Some years ago I 

 addressed an article to the Bee Jour- 

 nal, proposing a plan to improve the 

 Italian race of bees, just as we have 

 improved our races of hogs, cattle, 

 and horses. And I am extremely glad 

 to see your correspondents falling in 

 with this proposition, and advocating 

 the plan as not only possible, but one 

 which ought to go into immediate ef- 

 fect. Therefore, in order to inaugu- 

 rate the work, I propose the following 

 prize for the best tested Italian queen, 

 to be exhibited at Wilton Junction, 

 Iowa, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1881, at 2 

 p. m. Major Allen, A. N. VanCamp 

 and Mr. Picket, of this county, being 

 the judges in the case to award the 

 prize. These 3 gentlemen are all 

 practical bee-keepers, and competent 

 judges, and any one can write'to either 

 for information concerning the re- 

 sponsibility of the writer, directing 

 the letter to Wilton Junction. I also 

 beg leave to refer them to you for any 

 such information, having formed a 

 very pleasant acquaintance with you 

 at Muscatine, a year ago. If you think 

 the plan one which will help to find 

 the best in the market, I wish you 

 would add a word in the Journal to 

 help forward the work. 



TEN DOLLAR PRIZE. 



I wish to offer, through the Bee 

 Journal, the above named prize for 

 the best Italian queen, home bred or 

 imported, sent to me before Monday, 

 the 22d day of August next, out of 6, 

 forwarded to me by any 6 different 

 breeders, each sending one tested 

 queen, not to exceed one year old, 

 this year's rearing having the prefer- 

 ence. Said queen to excel in the fol- 

 lowing respects : 



1. The largest in size herself, and 

 producing the largest worker progeny. 



2. Producing the brightest colored 

 workers. 



3. Her progeny being the most 

 peaceable in handling, and adhering to 

 the combs the closest. 



•i. As far as it can be ascertained 

 this fall, the most prolific breeder, and 

 honey-gathering worker offspring. 



I will pay each breeder the common 

 price, also, which he charges for a 

 tested queen, providing she shows any 

 of the qualities named above, in a su- 

 perior degree, reserving the right to 

 return her if she falls below the aver- 

 age standard of queens in my home 

 apiary at this place. 



Any queen- breeder who accepts the 

 above proposal, and becomes a con- 

 testant, to notify me by postal as soon 

 as possible, at the same time announc- 

 ing when the queen can be forwarded, 

 when I will notify him by return mail 

 if he can be accepted as one of the 6 

 to compete for the prize. 



The report of the committee, and 

 payment for queens, and $10 prize, to 

 be made at the North Western Bee- 

 Keepers' Convention, to be held at 

 Chicago, Oct. 25 and 26, 1881. 



It will be noticed that the breeder 

 will get the ordinary price for his 

 queen, and the. ten dollars extra, if 

 she proves to be the best. But none 

 need send, except such as rank up 

 with the best in the market. 



Wilton Junction, Iowa. 



gg- The North Eastern Wisconsin 

 Convention meets at Pewaukee, Wis., 

 instead of Berlin, as at first an- 

 nounced. It meets on Oct. 11 and 12, 

 1881. Those in that vicinity should 

 make a point of attending. 



