336 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



looking worms, ami I no longer con- 

 sider the bee-moth an enemy, but 

 really an advantaM, for they are 

 rapidly driving box-Tiive men into our 

 ranks or out of the business, and the 

 little black bee, like poor "Lo," is 

 westward going. 



The next enemy to which I would 

 call your attention, is the Asilus Tex- 

 anus (Misounensis Ryley) or the Texas 

 bee-killer, which 1 Hnd more destruc- 

 tive, and in larger numbers, than any 

 bee-killer I have seen. The Asilus 

 Texanus is a two-winged fly of the 

 predacious family Asiladce, and takes 

 the bees in his long front set of legs 

 and leisurely sucks all the juices from 

 the bee. His legs being so long that 

 the bee cannot get at his body while 

 in captivity, but I have frequently 

 seen my "Cyprians" capture, ball 

 and kill these insects in its attempt- 

 to take a bee from the front of tlie 

 hive. I find these insects more numer- 

 ous in dry, hot years like 1S81. That 

 summer I killed over 100 in an hour, 

 and every Hy had a bee. They not 

 only attack tlie bees about the apiary, 

 but I have seen their nefarious work 

 in the horsemint tields. 



You will And this insect described 

 as beneficial to the agriculturist in 

 the " Eeport of the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture for 1879, plate XI, figure 

 o. 



There is another bee -killer, or rather 

 a large fly that is tolerated by the 

 bees, to hang around, not knowing 

 that these innocent-looking creatures 

 will let fall a tiny egg upon their body 

 that will hatch into a devouring grub, 

 which bores into the body of the bee, 

 Where it lives on its vitals, which it 

 soon destroys. Ttiis fly, I think, is 

 described by Prof. A. J. Cook, ex- 

 president of the N. A. B. K. Associa- 

 tion, as the Tachina fly, and is also 

 described as beneficial to the agricul- 

 turist (see Report of Commissioner of 

 Agriculture for 1H79, plate XIV., 

 figure 2). I hope this last named in- 

 sect may stay in the cotton fields 

 where it belongs, for if it should visit 

 our apiaries, in large numbers, we 

 would have to " hang our harps on 

 the willow trees " and give up our 

 lovely pursuit. 



The mosquito hawk, LibeUida (see 

 same Agricultural Report above men- 

 tioned), is another great enemy to our 

 pets, and last September and October 

 were present every evening, in alarm- 

 ing numbers, ready for a feast on the 

 heavily laden bees as they came in. 

 These insects can be driven off and 

 killed in large numbers with long 

 switches and whips, and is fun for the 

 juveniles. They lay their eggs in 

 ponds of water, by a peculiar dipping 

 motion, where the young larvse feed 

 on their insects. 



The next enemy we will notice is 

 the Mantis Religioso, i')r more com- 

 monly called " Devil's horse." These 

 formidable insect eaters are of sucli 

 vast advantage to our orchards and 

 vineyards, that I am in favor that we 

 overlook his occasional meal on our 

 pets 



A very small bronze-colored fly, and 

 I think it is the same fly that lays the 

 eggs on the locust, that destroys so 

 many of them, has made its appear- 



ance in my apiary, and I have seen it 

 on the body of the bee, and from the 

 antics cut by the bee, I fear it, too, is 

 of the Tachina family, and that the 

 eggs will produce grubs in the bee. 



I have given you a few of the most 

 formidable insect enemies to the 

 honey-bee, that has come under my 

 notice, and I will mention a few 

 others of a different species. The 

 English sparrow, mocking bird, and 

 the martin of the feathered tribe I 

 have caught eating bees, and particu- 

 larly tlie mocking bird. I have 

 watched these birds take a dozen bees 

 or more before they are satisfied ; they 

 are very fond of drones, audit may be 

 possible the largest amount of bees 

 they eat are drones. 



Toads, ants and spiders kill a few 

 bees, l)ut these are so easily dispersed 

 that they can hardly be classed as 

 enemies. I never kill a toad, but 

 carry him to the garden where his 

 presence is of greater importance 

 then in the apiary. 



For the destruction of the large red 

 ants I use cyanide of potasium (poison) 

 5 ounces to 5 gallons of water ; for 

 small ants, salt and wood ashes. 



And lastly comes the greatest 

 enemy of ail, and let us give him tlie 

 dignified name of Bonus Homo et Nobis 

 Amicus, his work is sure, and always 

 leaves this epitaph behind : " Here 

 rests, cut off from useful labor, a col- 

 ony of industrious bees, basely mur- 

 dered by its ignorant and ungrateful 

 owner." 



" Ab, see. where robbed and murdered in that pit, 

 Lies the still heavins hive ! at evening snatched, 

 Beneath the cloud of jniilt-concealing night. 

 And fixed o'er sulphur ! while, not dreaming ill, 

 The happy people, in their wa.\en cells, 

 Sat tending public cares. 

 Sudden, the dark, oppressive steam ascends, 

 And, used to milder scents, the tender race, 

 By thousands, tumble from their honied dome 

 Into a gulf of blue sulphurous flame." 



Killing Dees for their honey was 

 unknown in the days of Aristotle, 

 \^arro, Columella and Pliny, and 

 must have originated in tlie dark 

 ages, wlien the human family had lost 

 in apiarian pursuits, as well as in other 

 things, the skill of former ages. We 

 are told that the old cultivators took 

 only wliat their bees could spare, kill- 

 ing no colonies, except such as were 

 diseased. 



I am happy to see that this in- 

 human and cruel practice is fast 

 giving away, and wherever bee papers 

 and movable frame hives make their 

 appearance, this practice ceases im- 

 mediately. The spread of apistical 

 knowledge is a sure remedy to the 

 dreaded enemy last named. 1 feel 

 proud that the'Texas State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association is doing a noble work 

 in the advancement of apiculture in 

 Texas ; a State that is soon destined 

 to lead all the rest of her sister States 

 in this branch of rural economy. 

 Patent-liive venders, that swarmed 

 througii our State a few years ago, 

 liave ceased to put in an appearance. 

 Bee periodicals, assisted by a score of! 

 agricultural papers, have educated 

 the people. Let the good work go on 

 until our land and country shall flow 

 with " milk and honey." 



Dresden, Texas. 



Wihixi ixml Moxxf, 



ANSWERS BY 



James Heddon, Bowagiac, Mich. 



Rearing Queens. 



Will Mr. Heddon please answer the 

 following questions ■ 



1. Can pure queens be reared from 

 eggs layed by a hybrid mother ? If 

 not, what kind of queens would those 

 three-banded workers liave given. 



2. When a queen fails, does she fail 

 at once, or gradually ? I have had 

 queens that were good layers until, 

 all at once, they would quit and lay 

 no more. 



3. What has been your experience 

 \v\\X\ queens reared naturally or arti- 

 ficially — are those cells reared under 

 the swarming influence any better 

 than those reared artificially V 



4. I have several queens which are 

 three-fourths Italians, or more, would 

 you advise rearing queens from these, 

 to get the best honey gatherers ? 



Goshen, Ind. H. J. Schrock. 



Answeks.— 1. The Italian race has 

 physiological and mental markings 

 peculiar to itself. When crossed with 

 another race of different traits and 

 markings, the offspring of that cross- 

 ing, by the second law of evolution, 

 inherit variedly more or less of the 

 characteristics of either or both races. 

 A bee, whether a worker or queen, 

 can possess three golden bands, and 

 yet be a hybrid, but no bees with less 

 than three bands, are called pure 

 Italian. An egg laid by a hybrid 

 queen, while it might hatch a three- 

 banded worker, should not be expected 

 to produce a queen or worker truer 

 to the traits of character peculiar to 

 that race than the egg in an adjoining 

 cell which might produce a bee of but 

 one band. 



2. Queens usually give out, seem- 

 ingly, all at once ; at least so suddenly 

 that it seems so to the bee-master. 



3. I have never made any thorough 

 and pointed experiments upon this 

 subject, nor do I believe any other 

 bee-keeper lias. Tliis I will say, I 

 have gathered a feeling from observa- 

 tion and experience, as I have trav- 

 eled up the hill of apiculture, that 

 queens reared under the swarming 

 impulse are better than those not so 

 reared. I find that if I go to a colony 

 of any kind or size, at any time, and 

 remove the queen, they rear no such 

 queens as the same colony will when 

 they do it of their own accord, with 

 the queen in the hive. The cells do 

 not look as good. I also know that 

 since I have been producing queens 

 under the swarming impulse only, ray 



