284 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 7, 



board in front of the entrance, but 

 none returned to the old stand. 



We give our bees the closest atten- 

 tion, having discovered they do not 

 work for nothing and board them- 

 selves, Mr. Parsons and myself often 

 being with them from 4:30 a. m. till 

 dark. We are working to succeed. 

 I see nothing but praise for " sweet 

 clover," but from our experience with 

 it east, I should as soon think of sow- 

 ing Canada thistles ; I think those who 

 advocate its introduction can't be 

 farmers. 



Perry Station, Mich. 



[We have heard but little complaint 

 from practical farmers regarding mel- 

 ilot or sweet clover. It certainly is no 

 worse to eradicate from the ground 

 than ordinary weeds, and should not 

 be compared at all with thistles, nor 

 even with Spanish-needle, while its 

 superiority as a honey plant should 

 make it a great favorite with all keep- 

 ing bees, if but a single colony. — Ed.] 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Origin of Drones. 



A. R. KOHNKE. 



Mr. Robinson's hope, that some pro- 

 fessor will deign to write an essay on 

 this subject, will probably be in vain. 

 Such a waste of paper and ink could 

 hardly be asked of a person conver- 

 sant with the subject, as all intelli- 

 gent bee-keepers are. He may as 

 well try to refute Euclid, and then 

 ask some professor to write an essay 

 to prove this illustrious mathemati- 

 cian correct. This article is not in- 

 tended to gratify Mr. Robinson's 

 hopes. To arrive at certain truths and 

 facts through a course of reasoning, 

 is, perhaps, beyond his ability ; or lie 

 might understand them, if given by 

 others, which lie seems not to do. 

 But I would like to ask him a few 

 questions, namely : 



1. Has Mr. R. a microscope of 1000 

 to 2000 diameter power? 2. Has he 

 ever seen the sperma of any animal 

 through such an instrument, espe- 

 cially that of a drone? 3. Has he 

 ever dissected a worker or drone egg 

 immediately after being laid ? If lie 

 has not, he should do so, in order to 

 obtain ocular proof of what has been 

 known as a fact since 1855, instead of 

 questioning the authority of men who 

 have made entomology a life study. 

 Referring to von Siebold Leuckart, 

 and Donhoff , he savs : " Those men 

 fancied," when the " fancy " is exclu- 

 sively his own. For it was von Sie- 

 bold who, in 1855, proved by ocular 

 demonstration, in von Berlepsch's 

 own apiary, the theory advanced bv 

 Dzierzon. His assertion that von 

 Berlepsch was in the dark is there- 

 fore without foundation. 



Youngstown, O., Aug. 26, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Are the New Races Superior? 



A. F. MOON. 



Candidly speaking, never since the 

 publication of the American Bke 

 Journal, has it stood so intrinsically 

 high as it does at the present time, and 

 it owea the position it now occupies in 

 the nation to the untiring energy and 

 unselfishness of its editor, and the in- 

 telligence of its numerous correspond- 

 ents. What a change has come over 

 its face ! 



I was forcibly struck in reading the 

 editor's answer to Mr. Johnson, on 

 page 252 of the Bee Journal for Aug. 

 10, regarding the best bees. In your 

 free, outspoken answer, you have now 

 placed the matter where the advocates 

 of this class of bees will certainly be 

 obliged to step to the front with' the 

 proof of their superior qualities, should 

 they possess any ; if they do not. the 

 sooner they abandon them the better 

 it will be for all parties concerned. 



It appears from the accounts given 

 of the Cyprian bee, even by some of 



its breeders, that it is a difficult matter 

 to distinguish the Cyprian from the 

 Italian. This being a fact, and the 

 probability of the two races becoming 

 mixed, any one can perceive the great 

 injury that will be done to those breed- 

 ing the Italians. I long ago had my 

 fears aroused, and more especially 

 after reading Mr. H. Alley's descrip- 

 tion of them in the Bee Journal, 

 and concluded the less such stock bee- 

 keepers had to contend with the bet- 

 ter, if we expected to make any im- 

 provement in the Italians. Further, 

 I cannot see how any queen-breeder, 

 rearing all or any of "these bees in the 

 same apiary, or within two miles of 

 eacli other, can keep any one strain 

 pure. If fertilization could be con- 

 trolled, then we could do better. From 

 the description of these bees, not one 

 bee-keeper in five hundred can tell 

 whether they are pure or not ; and to 

 talk of purity, or keeping them pure, 

 is all nonsense. We want to hear from 

 some of their advocates. I see that 

 quite a number are advertising them, 

 and hope they will not all speak at 

 once. Let some one who knows of 

 their good qualities tell us what they 

 are, and if the Italian bee proves the 

 best, abandon those which are inferior, 

 and not fill the country with stock that 

 will mix the races, thereby lessening, 

 instead of enhancing, the value of the 

 better stock. Remember, we have bad 

 great trouble in keeping the Italian 

 bee in its purity, and now we have a 

 double dose to contend with. I cer- 

 tainly would be glad if a better bee 

 could be had, and that I long ago pre- 

 dicted would be obtained by the im- 

 provement of the Italian. But new 

 things and wild speculation often 

 sweep over our people at a fearful 

 rate. Some 35 years ago the Morus 

 multicaulis fever raged to a fearful ex- 

 tent, and all wanted the mulberry and 

 silkworms. So with our bee-keepers; 

 they caught the fever for the Holy 

 Land, Hungarian and Cyprian bees, 

 not being content with our excellent 

 Italians. 



It now turns out that the most prac- 

 tical bee-keepers of this country con- 

 demn them, although they have adver- 

 tised them for sale ; but no doubt, 

 like some others, they learned their 

 qualities. If such bee- men as Chas. 

 Dadant are not competent to judge of 

 their qualities, etc., it is useless to look 

 further. Although some good breed- 

 ers like them, I would like the modus 

 operandi for breeding so many races 

 and keeping them pure. If they can- 

 not keep them pure, who would want 

 them ? 



Fall rains have set in, and bees are 

 doing well. 



Rome, Ga., July 16, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Methods of obtaining Surplus Honey. 



J. O. SHEARMAN. 



The main thing is to obtain a good 

 location, for, if the bees gather but 

 little, the bee-keeper will have less. 



The above heading relates more par- 

 ticularly to management with the 

 means we may have at hand. I shall, 

 therefore, give some personal exper- 

 ience, as it seems to me that we gain 

 more information by comparing ways 

 and means than by theory merely. 



1 like a hive with the back for a di- 

 vision board, so that the brood cham- 

 ber can be made smaller or larger in 

 proportion to the amount of bees. I 

 have obtained some of my best results 

 by reducing the hive to so few frames 

 in the spring, that the bees will nearly 

 cover them, and keep them in that 

 proportion till surplus begins to come, 

 then put on boxes in like proportion 

 as long as they are satisfied, and all 

 keep to work. As soon as they are 

 crowded, or show indications of 

 swarming, move part of the hive back- 

 ward ; put empty combs or founda- 

 tion in the middle, add as many boxes 

 as the bees can be crowded into, etc., 

 until the hive is full; then if more 

 room is needed, I take out combs of 

 brood for new colonies, and continue 

 as before, 



In a poor season any average colony 

 of bees can be controlled in this way, 

 and I have run some strong colonies 

 through a good honey season with 

 good results, and no "swarming, by 

 tiering up surplus too ; but it takes too 

 much time to run a large number in 

 that way, in a good season, and we 

 are sometimes pushed to throwing 

 back swarms, or else increase, which 

 is undesirable when we have enough. 



In regard to the style of surplus, ex- 

 tracting is generally allowed to give 

 the greatest quantity, but it was 

 rather a failure with me during the 

 past season, for this reason : 



Honey came in about fast enough 

 to induce brood rearing, and both 

 stories were near filled with brood 

 while the flow lasted ; when it had 

 passed, there were many more young 

 to feed instead of to gather surpl us ; for 

 our surplus came in short runs, some- 

 times very short. 



Glassed boxes seem to be the most 

 convenient to handle, as they can the 

 more readily be seen when full and 

 taken off independently, and it is the 

 most work done over the centre of col- 

 ony. It is a slow and mussy job to 

 exchange places with sections before 

 capping, as we often do with boxes. 

 It is quite an object to be able to put 

 on as much room for surplus as possi- 

 ble at times, as bees often gather more 

 than they can cap, in wet weather or 

 a heavy flow. Butif tiered up, the top 

 is seldom as well finished or as full as 

 the under tier. Sections, if put in the 

 body of the hive in the brood frames, 

 are apt to have pollen stored in them. 

 They also cost more to crate, and in 

 breakage, in handling or shipping. 

 There are also more cells than in 

 boxes, though honey in sections sells 

 quicker and at a better figure, and it 

 is, therefore, a more desirable shape, 

 when a person has the time to spend 

 on them. 



New Richmond, Mich. 



Bee Culture for the South. 



O. F. BLEDSOE. 



We hold that a people to be pros- 

 perous, must deversify their pursuits, 

 and develop in every direction all the 

 resources of their country. Nothing 

 that tends to the sustenance and com- 

 fort of human life but that deserves 

 attention. Northern people (to their 

 credit be it spoken) pursue with the 

 keenest intelligence and ardor, all 

 branches of industry, great and small. 



Nothing that their country will de- 

 velop is neglected. They even force 

 churlish nature to be, partial to them. 

 They have taken the minor pursuit of 

 bee-culture, and brought it to a sys- 

 tematic and remunerative branch of 

 industry, though they are compelled 

 to house their bees during the winter, 

 even then losing vast numbers each 

 winter, and in summer have only lim- 

 ited seasons of bloom. 



The natural advantages in this pur- 

 suit are in many respects with the 

 south. Here no extra care is required 

 in winter, and our bloom is more con- 

 tinuous, though we are not prepared 

 to say that we ever have as great a 

 How of honey as is sometimes given 

 by the basswood and white clover of 

 the north. 



Still our honey resources are unde- 

 veloped, and we might, in some sec- 

 tions of the south, excel anything yet 

 achieved by the north. 



We know not what we can do until 

 we apply intelligence to the pursuit, 

 and adopt the modern system of bee- 

 culture, which consists, first, in an 

 exact knowledge of the honey bee and 

 its habits, to be obtained from works 

 like Langstroth's and other newer 

 ones, and the current bee periodicals. 



Second, in the use of the movable 

 frame hive, so that the entire contents 

 of a hive can easily be taken out at 

 any time. 



Third, in the use of the extractor 

 and other appliances and inventions. 



Fourth, in the use of Italian bees, 

 which are more prolific, industrious 

 and hardier than the common black 



bee. They are very beautiful, having 

 yellow bands across the body. They 

 are very gentle, and with the aid of a 

 bee smoker and a veil, one need never 

 be stung in their management. They 

 are moth proof. The bee moth or 

 worm never disturbs a strong colony 

 of Italian bees. I have placed a comb 

 full of worms in the midst of a strong 

 colony of Italians, and in a few min- 

 utes the worms were writhing on the 

 ground. I have taken 100 lbs. of 

 honey from a single hive of Italians in 

 a season, and consider that amount as 

 not extraordinary. As much as 500 

 lbs. have been taken from a single 

 hive in a season in the state of New 

 York. 



We hold that bee culture is a highly 

 intellectual pursuit that would be a 

 pleasant and profitable recreation to 

 thousands of farmers, if they would 

 go at it right, and that if it were car- 

 ried on in Mississipi, as in the north, 

 it would go far, directly or by ex- 

 change, toward supplying our people 

 with all the liquid sweets they con- 

 sume—a result decidedly in the di- 

 rection of "the glorious privilege of 

 being independent." 



Grenada, Miss. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Fertilization in Confinement. 



c. J. ROBINSON. 



We occasionally read of fertilizing 

 in confinement (that is copulating 

 with drones while inclosed in a coop). 

 On page 66, vol. I. of the Bee Jour- 

 nal, the Rev. L. L. Langstroth fur- 

 nishes an account of an ocular demon- 

 stration by Messrs. Cary and Otis, of 

 the queen and drone bee, which I 

 could not indorse as correct at that 

 time nor since, the position of the two. 

 The drone clasping the queen around 

 the body, etc. 



The architect of nature has so ar- 

 ranged the gentle parts of the drone 

 and queen, that it is physically impos- 

 sible to make their genital parts meet 

 with the drone on the back of the 

 queen. They must be reversed, and 

 the queen clasping the drone with her 

 legs, and driving the drone down in 

 close contact with her body with a 

 quick motion, the genitalia are thrown 

 out into the vulva of the queen, by 

 which means the copulation is ac- 

 complished, which it is known that 

 the queen could not do if disabled in 

 her legs or wings. 



Take a live drone, and by a gentle 

 pressure between the thumb and fin- 

 ger, it will cause them to throw out 

 their genitalia, which curves over to- 

 wards the back or head, with a joint 

 about 1 3 of the length from the end, 

 which end curves downwards with 

 double barbs at the underside at the 

 joint, and is composed of a very thin 

 membrane filled with compressed 

 air, and the semen also thrown up 

 (that is contained in the 2 horn-shaped 

 sacs situated at the base of the geni- 

 talia), with sufficient force to burst the 

 end, and the semen is thrown out 

 leaving the inside casing of the sack 

 which is held by a thread-like tendon, 

 attached at the base, the same as ani- 

 mals after giving birth to their young. 

 On my theory of reproduction of 

 queens, the workers that attend the 

 drones on their excursions cause 

 them to give off semen, which they 

 convey to their hives to perfect 

 queens, which also accounts for the 

 cause and use of so many drones, as 

 they expire immediately on giving off 

 their semen. See what nature has 

 done to accomplish that design — in so 

 constructing the drone that a slight 

 pressure of the abdomen, by the legs 

 of the worker or queen, or the lingers, 

 to throw out the genitalia, if the 

 worker is clasping the body to obtain 

 royal jelly, or the queen to get semen 

 into her spermatheca. In this, the 

 drone is like some plants : when ripe, 

 with a slight pressure the seed vessels 

 explode and throw off the seed. 



It seems evident that the Creator 

 had some further use for the drone 

 than barely to copulate with the 

 queen. I have watched the drones 



