CHAPTER XXII. 



Bees and Fruits and Flowers. 



8'i'l. We have shown, in the chapter on Physiology (43), 

 that bees cannot injure sound fruits, and in the chapter on 

 Food (268), that they help the fecundation of flowers; but 

 this accusation of bees injuring fruits has become of so 

 much importance in the past years, especially in the best fruit 

 and bee country of the world, California, that we deem it 

 necessary to give it a whole chapter. 



While the honey-bee is regarded by the best informed hor- 

 ticulturists as a friend, a strong prejudice has been excited 

 against it by many fruit-growers; and in some communities, 

 a man who keeps bees, is considered as bad a neighbor, as 

 one who allows his poultry to despoil the gardens of others. 

 Even some warm friends of the "busy bee," may be heard 

 lamenting its propensity to banquet on their beautiful peaches 

 and pears, and choicest grapes and plums. 



That bees do gather the sweet juice of fruits when nothing 

 else is to be found, is certain; but it is also evident that their 

 jaws being adapted chiefly to the manipulation of wax, are 

 too feeble to enable them to puncture the skin of the most 

 delicate grapes. 



8'J'2. We made experiments in our apiary on bees and 

 grapes, during the season of 1879 — one of the worst seasons 

 we ever knew for bees. The Summer having been exceedingly 

 dry, the grape crop was large and the honey crop small. In 

 every vineyard a number of ripe grapes were eaten by bees, 

 and the grape-growers in our vicinity were so positively certain 

 that the bees were guilty, that they held a meeting, to petition 

 the State Legislature, for a law preventing any one from 

 owning more than ten hives of bees. 



540 



