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THE 



Bee « Keeping World 



staff Contributors : F. GREINER and ADRIAN GETAZ. 



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CHINESE BEES. 



Two kinds of bees exist iu China. 

 One of large size is dreaded by the 

 natives, and nothing has been done 

 toward "robbing" their nests or to 

 keep them in hives. 



The other is much smaller. The 

 workers are only three-eighths of an 

 inch long, and the queens nearly half 

 an inch. They are black, with less 

 hair than the European kind, and that 

 hair is of a rusty color. When the 

 abdomen is distended, a yellow streak 

 or spot is seen occupying about one- 

 third of the width of each skin be- 

 tween the rings. The stinger is short, 

 the venom glands more developed than 

 those of the European kind, but the 

 sting is less painful than that of the 

 European bees. 



Their nests are hung under the limbs 

 of trees or some other more or less 

 sheltered but not completely inclOised 

 place. Hunting wild bees is not al- 

 ways easy; so the natives are in the 

 habit of putting here and there on 

 some trees, pieces of bark about six 

 feet long, and placed horizontally or 

 nearly so, so that the imder surface 

 furnishes the wild bees a sheltered 

 place to hang their nests. Of one hun- 

 dred pieces fixed that way, from twen- 

 ty to forty are soon found occupied 

 by swarms, and can easily be har- 

 vested. If possible, the tree called 

 tram (Melaleuca leucodendron) is 

 chosen, as the bees seem to have a 

 preference for it. The "harvesting" is 

 usually done in August. Each nest fur- 

 nishes one or two pounds of wax and 

 a quantity of honey. To climb a tree, 

 the hunter uses a number of bamboo 

 spikes, which he drives in the bark of 

 the trees. These hold the weight of 

 a man as well as an iron spike driven 

 in a telegraph pole. The woods are 

 divided in portions and these leased 

 to those who will take what honey, 

 gums, resins and other wild products 

 are there. 



These bees are also kept in hives; 



that is, hollow logs, closed at the ends 

 with pieces of bark or boards fasten- 

 ed with "buffalo chips" mortar. When 

 the robbing is done, it is merely a 

 question of cutting the combs, driving 

 the bees off with smoke, mashing 

 combs and all, and melting thsm to 

 separate the honey and the wax. The 

 honey is decidedly of inferior quality. 

 — L'Apiculteur. 



TURKEY. 



A brigand named Nebi was pursued 

 by the Turkish "gendarmes." He fi- 

 nally took refuge in a small house 

 which, like all the oriental houses, had 

 but few windows, .iust big enough to 

 enable the brigand to shoot down the 

 '•gendarmes'' at his own convenience. 



In a garden nearby were some bee 

 hives. The sergeant of the gendarmes, 

 finally took one of the hives and man- 

 aged to throw it through the window 

 into the house then occupied by the 

 unfortunate Nebi. The result can 

 easily be guessed. What may not be 

 so easily guessed, is that the unfor- 

 tunate Nebi died in the hospital at 

 Smyrna the next day, from the re- 

 sults of the stings received. — L'Api- 

 culteur. 



FRANCE. 

 Mr. Betmale observed a youngi 

 queen coming out to mate on the 9th f 

 of April. The weather was unfavor- 

 able a part of the time, the drones' 

 very scarce yet. So, after several un- 

 successful attempts, that queen mated' 

 on April 30. The 3rd of May, eggsi 

 were seen in a few cells, workers and' 

 drone cells both. May 4 the queen 

 came out and mated again. The fifth; 

 and following days, eggs were found: 

 in abundance. — L'Apiculteur. 



An apiarist of St. Jory (France) wasi 

 sued for damages done by his bees to 

 the grapes of one of his neighbors. 

 After investigation, the court decided! 

 that, as wasps and other insects were 



