162 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



a whole column of the paper trying to 

 prove that bees do not destroy fruit. For 

 aught I know, the article may be editorial, or 

 written by an apiarist or entomologist. But 

 be he who he may, I protest in toto against 

 such a conclusion as the writer attempts to 

 prove. As the writer did not choose to attach 

 his name, it appears plausible that he was not 

 quite so confident as he pretends to be that 

 bees do not sting or cut the cuticle of grapes. 

 Only a few weeks since I was talking with 

 a gentleman in Lancaster on this very subject 

 of bees cutting the grapes. He told me that 

 his father and himself had kept bees for many 

 years ; that they had grape vines bearing lots 

 of fruit, and that the bees never touched the 

 grapes until within a few years back, Did 

 bees injure the fruit ? Now, he tells me, 

 since the Italian, or crosses of that variety of 

 bees have been introduced, they ai"e so de- 

 structive of the fruit that they can no more 

 grow grapes as formerly. Such also is my 

 experience. For over fifty years I had from 

 five to forty hives of the black bees in a sea- 

 son. I then also had lots of grapes, but the 

 bees did not molest the fruit. For the last 

 six or eight years I have had no bees on my 

 place. Now, within the last four or five 

 my neighbors' "little busy bees " have made 

 a regular onslaught on my grapes. Though 

 my neighbors who have the Italian variety 

 are from half to a mile distant ; yet before 

 sunrise, and after the sun is set, these little 

 rascals were as "busy as bees " on my grape 

 vines, day after day, from the middle of Au- 



fust up to the middle of September, or imtil 

 he last berry was sucked dry. I can assure 

 the writer of that article had he been at my 

 place any time from the middle of August to 

 the middle of September, he need not " have 

 watched them for hours " until he could have 

 seen them, uot sting, but cut with their man- 

 dibles the Ijerries as neatly and expeditiously 

 as it could have been done with a penknife. 



I had a splendid crop of grapes of many va- 

 rieties this last season, yet as soon as the 

 earliest varieties became sweet, these little 

 rascals came in crowds, and as soon as any of 

 tlie grapes became nearly ripe, they set to 

 work with a will, and cut and sucked ont th& 

 juice of the berries, thus spoiling the whole 

 bmich. I would have had many bushels of 

 perfect and delicious grapes, yet from the 

 depredations of these little pests I do not get 

 a single perfect and perfectly ripe bunch of 

 grapes ! I cut off some of the Inuiches of 

 special varieties before the grapes were fully 

 mature, to get a taste of some new varieties, 

 but these did not give their true flavor. N"o 

 amount of shaking the vines, or trying to 

 drive them oft', had any eflect for they would 

 just light on some other part of the vine in 

 all haste. You might as well try to make me 

 believe that the sun rises in the west, as to 

 convince me that the "busy bee " does not 

 cut the berries. They do not sting them, as 

 they have other uses for that member. 



As to wasps and other insects cutting the 

 grapes prior to bees feasting on the juice, 

 that is contrary to my experience, as I did 

 not see a single wasp, hornet, yellow-jacket 

 or bumble-bee on the vine during the season, 

 and I was a pretty close observer. The fact 

 is, where there is such a crowd of honey-bees 

 no other insect dare approach. Either this 

 nuisance must be abated, or we may as well 

 cease growing this delicious and reliable fruit. 



I am not sure but I may another season 

 apply Prof. Riley's recommendation, and give 

 these thieves a taste of Paris-green, or what 

 may be more to the purpose, strychnia. If 

 they get a taste of this drug, mixed with 

 honey, they will not be very likely to carry 

 tlie poison to their hives, but drop down at 

 once, and no longer depredate a neighbor's 

 property.— J. JB. Garber, CohmMa, Pa., Oct. 

 . 10, 1877. 



Do Bees Destroy Grapes ? No. 3. 



As the little busy bee, that poor, industri- 

 ous little worker, has been greatly abused and 

 unjustly cliarged with crimes of which I be- 

 lieve it innocent, I thought it should not be 



condemned without a defender at the hearing. 

 We plead not guilty. My respected old friend, 

 J. B. G. , of Columbia, is sure the bees gener- 

 ally are guilty, but the Italians in particular. 

 Of the latter I^know very httle, .as there are 

 none in this neighborhood, (I do not mean a 

 far west frontier neighborhood of 15 or 20 

 miles, ) but'as friend Garber says, fi'om half 

 to a mile distant. 



I have several colonies, or hives, of black 

 bees, and close by several varieties of grapes, 

 and never before this summer did they in large 

 numbers visit the grapes, but this season, 

 when the grapes ripened, the Clintons in par- 

 ticular, being the most perfect, full and large 

 for the kind, burst their skins, many half way 

 romid, from some cause unknown to me, so 

 that the air around^ was filled with the deli- 

 cious sweet smell of the ripe fruit, which 

 naturally invited the bees to come and regale 

 themselves, and sip the nectar now open to 

 them. Concords near by were not near so 

 perfect this year, and few hurst their skins 

 when ripening, and few bees gathered about 

 them. Delawares, nearest to the hives, were 

 also very perfect, but none burst their skins, 

 and no bees visited them. Now, if the bees 

 had cut the grapes open, is it not natural and 

 reasonable that they would.have also cut the 

 other and sweeter kinds, as more to their 

 taste, particularly the Delawares. 



Some varieties of apples, when perfectly 

 developed and fully ripe, also sometimes burst 

 their skin, as my friend Garber, that prince of 

 fruit growers and professor of pomology, no 

 doubt has noticed. 



The question whether the bees have an ap- 

 paratus at all to cut the skin of the grape, I 

 refer to my friend. Prof. Rathvon. Their 

 sthig does not cut, and is used only to defend. 



Your correspondent, W., from Strasburg, 

 complains also of the destruction of his grapes 

 this year by the bees, but admits that "he 

 don't know whether the bees tettr the skin or 

 not," and throws ugly hints at the Italians ; 

 but that they destroyed his grapes he is quite 

 sure. Now, if the skin is burst, from whatever 

 cause, would not the grape go to speedy de- 

 struction if no bees came near it '? Friend W. 

 says, "thousands of bees were constantly on 

 his grapes from early dawn till dusk," which 

 he can prove by any number of witnesses. 

 This is not denied. So there were on mine, 

 but no Italians among them all, but all our 

 own black bees, or others as much like them 

 -Tts one bee can be to another bee. If the bees 

 have only now discovered that they can cut or 

 tear the skins of grapes, they will, no doubt, 

 soon find that they can also cut the long tubes 

 of the red clover blossom. AVhat a flow of 

 honey there will be when they strike that 

 bonanza ! 



Our Clinton grapes were so thin skinned 

 this year that many could uot be removed 

 from" the stem without bursting. Is it not 

 enough that we rob this poor, industrious lit- 

 tle people of a great portion of their store, 

 gathered with so much patient industry every 

 shining hour during summer for winter use V 

 Shall the robbers then turn around and accuse 

 them of mischief they are unable to do ? We 

 ask for a verdict of not guilty. — M., Oregon, 

 Oct. 22, 1877. 



Do Bees Destroy Fruit ? No. 4. 

 Sir: Tour article under the above caption 

 has occasioned considerable discussion in this 

 neighborhood, and you will excuse me if I add 

 that the general verdict is that its conclusions 

 are not correct. I have been for some years 

 quite an extensive grape-grower, and have 

 had no trouble before the present year ui se- 

 curing all of that fruit that I wanted. This 

 year, tlioughl had an aljundance on the vines, 

 yet I was unable to gather more than a few 

 perfect bunches. The bees destroyed all the 

 rest. Now, when I state that thousands of 

 bees were constantly on my fruit, from early 

 dawn until dusk, I state a fact that can Iw 

 be attested by any number of witnesses. This 

 season has been the first that Italian bees 

 have been kept in this neighborhood, and our 

 grape-growers very generally complain of 



their ravages. I don't know whether the 

 bees tear the skin of the grapes or not, but I 

 do know they destroyed nearly all my fruit. If 

 the skin is broken in some other way, so be it. 

 It has not occasioned us heretofore much an- 

 noyance. We slill had iilenty of the fruit. 

 This year, through the instrumentality of the 

 bees, and possibly other cau.ses assisting, we 

 had very little, and to my mind we will either 

 have to do without grapes or the busy bees— 

 of the Italian variety.— TF., Strasburg, Oct. 

 11, 1877. 



Do Bees Destroy Fruit ? No. 5. 



Your editorial with this caption, in defense 

 of the industrious "gatherer of sweets," giv- 

 ing your own patient watchfulness and thei 

 experience of Jlr. Fleckenstein, as a reply tol 

 the denunciation and violent attack on the 

 bee, in the Reading Eagle, I deemed neitheri 

 too lengthy nor uncalled for. I gave the subH 

 ject no further tliought. But when the samd 

 caption caught my eyes, with an emphatic yesj 

 added, and signed by that apostle of experi-l 

 ence, one to whose opinion I and his numer-J 

 ous friends attach great weight, with all thei 

 deference of an humljle learner, I carefuUyl 

 perused his article. 



His objection to the editor, or apiarist, orl 

 an entomologist "who did not choose to at- 

 tach his name," seems taken against the in-i 

 cognito writer, and he enters his protestl 

 against the conclusions arrived at. Mr. G.' 

 certainly bravely signs his own name and ob- 

 servations ; but while the former writer quoted 

 Mr. Fleckenstein by name, Mr. G. only men- 

 tions a gentJevum who told him that he and 

 his father had kept bees for many years ; that 

 they (father and son) had grape vines for many 

 years bearing lots of fiuit, and that the bees 

 never touched thefrtdt until within a few years 

 back ; now, however, since the introduction 

 of the Italian or cross-breeds, tliey have taken 

 a new departure, or formed a "new era." 

 Within the last four or five years the "little 

 busy bees" have made a regular onslaught on 

 his grapes. These little rascals, the bees of 

 his neighbors from half a mile distant, before 

 sunrise and after tlie sun is set, were as "busy 

 as bees" on his grape vines, and could be seen 

 without long watching, cutting the grapes as 

 neatly and expeditiously as it could have been 

 done with a penknife. 



Tliis, I presume, the gentleman told him. 

 Our friend being a pretty close observer, en- j 

 dorses the foregoing and then says, "1 am not j 

 sure, but I may another season apply Prof. 

 Riley's recommendation,* and give these I 

 thieves a taste of Paris green, or what may be 

 more to the purpose, slryclmia," &c. Now, 

 my old friend, this is cruel and uncahed for, 

 in my humble opinion. 



Tlien I find another, who writes from Stras- 

 burg, signed "W." His verdict is that Mr. 

 G.'s conclusions are not wholly correct. He 

 states that he is an extensive grape-grower, 

 and lias had no trouble before the present year 

 in securing all of that fruit he wanted. This 

 year the bees destrot/ed all but a few perfect 

 bunches. He found thousands of bees con- 

 stantly on his fruit from early dawn until 

 dusk. This fact lie says he can liave attested 

 by any number of witnesses. This is the first 

 season that Italian bees were kept in his 

 neighborhood, against which the complaint 

 seems general. But mark what he says : " I 

 don't know whether thd bees tear the skin of 

 the grape or not, but I do know that they 

 destroy nearly all my fruit." Then comes an 

 "if," which 1 will endeavor to solve before I 

 am done. He says, " If tlie skin is broken in 

 some other way, so be it." 



In yesterday's paper we find the caption 

 again," with a "No" appended, signed M. 

 (Oregon). I think I know the writer, and 

 know liim to be as reliable on this question as 

 any one of the writers, mysiOf and .1. B. G. 

 included. He believes the industrious insect 

 innocent, and with good reasons given. 

 As there are no Italian bees in his neigh- 



'Haviiig, as I thouglit, read all that Prof. Riley lias pub' 

 lished, I uever met with such a statement. May there not 

 1)6 some mistake ? I mean Chas, V. Riley, M. A., Ph. D 



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