AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



243 



The sound which tho, insect emits is 

 susceptible of considerable variations. 

 It may be that it maintains an equality 

 of pitch and strength during a uniform 

 motion of the wings, for so in fact it 

 appears; but every change in the velocity 

 of the flight, every disturbance of the 

 ordinary motion, generally causes also 

 an alteration in the tone. An idea of 

 the origin of the tone is, however, only 

 to be obtained when the insect is held by 

 the legs, and excited by pressure or other 

 means to go through all its motions of 

 the wing, and thus to produce a sound. 

 It has been found in this manner that 

 the tone of the common gadfly varied, as 

 the effort to extricate itself was put 

 forth with greater or less energy. 



That part of the insect by which the 

 sound alone is produced, is the breast or 

 thorax. In two-winged insects, this 

 consists simply of a cavity covered by 

 thin membrane, which exhibits on its 

 surface various elevations and depres- 

 sions, but is, nevertheless, perfectly 

 continuous. To this hollow case are 

 attached different sets of muscles, which 

 serve for the motion of the legs and 

 wings, and are capable of contracting 

 the cavity in various directions. 



In this cavity of the insect's thorax 

 there are two very small holes, which 

 let air out or in by the following process: 

 When the wings rise and fall, as in fly- 

 ing, the cavity is alternately contracted 

 or expanded, the result of a peculiar 

 mechanism on which the motion is 

 dependent. Now, it is clear that the 

 contraction must drive out a part of the 

 air, just as a piper expels the air from 

 the bag of his instrument by pressing 

 his arm against it. 



On the other hand, when the cavity of 

 the insect Is expanded by an opposite 

 motion of the wing, an equal quantity of 

 air rushes through the air-holes. There 

 is, therefore, connected with the motion 

 of the wings, a constant proportionally 

 rapid and intense breathing, and this 

 breathing is the tmie cause of the sou7id. 

 It is the efflux and influx of the air 

 which produces the buzz or hum which 

 we hear, just as the current of air 

 draws music from the ^Eolian harp, when 

 forced at short intervals through the 

 small holes of the sound-board, or, to 

 take a more familiar example, by a 

 mechanism similar to that of the mouth 

 in whistling. The sound of the iEolian 

 harp bears a remarkable resemblance to 

 that of many insects. 



Now, it is evident that this theory can 

 be proved or disproved in a very satis- 

 factory manner— namely, by closing up 

 the air-holes of the thorax of the insect, 



without injuring it in any other way. 

 This was done, and the flight of the 

 gad-fly was found to be accompanied by 

 uo sound whatever. 



It is true that the insect dies of suffo- 

 cation soon after the experiment, but 

 not directly, because there are air-holes 

 situated lower down. In the abdomen 

 of the animal, and through these respir- 

 ation is continued for a short time. But 

 they emit no sound during the flight of 

 the insect, for they are then totally 

 inactive. The insect breathes through 

 the air-holes of the abdominal part when 

 it sits and crawls, but through the air- 

 holes of the thorax when on the wing. 

 According to this view, the hum of 

 insects is in reality a whistle. 



Transferring Bees froi Box-Hives, 



DR. .J. W. VANCE. 



My friend, D. D. Daniher, has a method 

 that he has found successful, and it is 

 attended .with very little trouble. He 

 fills a movable-comb hive with empty 

 combs, or frames filled with foundation, 

 and places a board upon it with inch 

 auger holes (four, perhaps), and moving 

 the box-hive from its stand, places the 

 new hive upon it and then lifts the old 

 hive on top, over the holes, and closes 

 the entrance to the box-hive, compelling 

 tlie bees to go down through the new 

 hive. Ere long the bees will take posses- 

 sion of the movable-comb apartment 

 below. 



This is an easy way to do it and not 

 risk any stings ; a method that will 

 commend itself to the timid and inexpe- 

 rienced bee-keeper. 



Another plan, and one cliiefly adopted, 

 is to drive out the bees by drumming and 

 smoke, and with a chisel and hammer 

 open one side of the box-hive and cut- 

 ting out the combs fit them into the 

 frames, fastening with small narrow 

 sticks, tied top and bottom to the frame, 

 which will hold the comb in place until 

 the bees can fix everything up neat and 

 nice ; in two or three days the sticks and 

 strings can be removed. Of course, the 

 colony must be placed on the old stand. 



If you have never done it yourself, 

 perhaps you had better get an experi- 

 enced bee-keeper to help or show you 

 ho w . — Wiscon sin F( t rmer. 



Madison, Wis. 



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