Photo onl “A B Cand X Y Z of Bee Culture,” by A. I. and E. R. Root 
LIMB OF A TREE CUT OFF WITH THE SWARM READY TO HIVE 
located in ‘a vineyard at their home 
apiary. Notwithstanding hundreds and 
hundreds of pounds of grapes are raised 
every year, the bunches hanging within 
three or four feet of the entrance of the 
hives, the sound fruit is never attacked, 
but during a dearth of honey, a broken 
or otherwise bruised bunch of grapes 
will occasionally be visited by a few 
bees. 
The writer of this article has attended 
various -horticultural and pomological 
conventions, both State and national. 
Among the progressive fruit-growers 
and horticulturists there is a general 
acknowledgment that bees do not attack 
sound fruit; that the little damage they 
do to damaged fruit is compensated for 
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 
a hundred times over by 
the indispensable service 
they perform in pollinat- 
ing fruit-blossoms early 
in the season, when no 
other insects or means 
of mingling the pollen 
exists. Indeed, some of 
our best fruit - growers 
are now keeping a few 
hives of bees in each of 
their orchards. Often 
they invite bee-keepers 
to locate yards of bees 
either in the orchards or 
as near as it is practi- 
cable to put them. 
But a casual observer 
might easily get the im- 
pression that bees not 
only suck damaged fruit 
dry, but actually punc- 
ture and eat up sound 
fruit. Some years ago 
a neighbor sent word to 
us that he would like to 
have us come up to his 
vineyard and he would 
give us _ undisputable 
proof that our bees were 
actually puncturing his 
grapes and sucking out 
the fruit. 
We looked at the lus- 
cious bunches as they 
were hanging down, and, sure enough, 
there were small, needle-like holes in al- 
most every berry that the bees were 
working on. It looked like a clear case 
of “caught-in-the-act” evidence against 
them. For the time being we were un- 
able to offer a satisfactory explanation. 
We brought the matter to the attention 
of an old farmer who had been a bee- 
keeper for many years.. Finally one 
morning he sent word to us that he had 
found the guilty culprit, and that if we 
would come down to his place early some 
morning he would point him out. ‘This 
we did. 
He showed us a little bird, quick. of 
flight, and almost never to be seen 
around the vines when any human being 
