202 The Relation of Apiculture to Science. [ March, 
I need not speak, at this time, of the value of bees in fertilizing ~ 
flowers, as that has been ably discussed by our botanical friends. 
That bees ever injure buckwheat or other plants, by seeking 
nectar from their bloom, as is sometimes claimed, is known to be 
erroneous by all present. That they are equally harmless to 
grapes and other soft-skinned fruits is not so generally granted. 
Personally, I have never seen a case, though I have several times 
gone quite a distance to see them at the request of positive indi- 
viduals. In each case, the bees were found never to attack sound 
fruit, but only to sip from. such as had burst, or been torn by 
other insects or by birds. While I am not positive that bees are 
never guilty of such wrong-doing, I do feel certain that such 
actions if ever true, is quite exceptional. I have lived in Califor- 
nia in the midst of apiaries and vineyards, and I have yet to see 
the first case of such depravity among bees. 
he two great improvements in apiculture since the Langstroth | 
hive, and scientific knowledge gave the apiarist such perfect con- 
trol over his bees, are the extractor and comb fouhdation, both 
of which are recent inventions. In both cases the thought came 
from Germans, but perfection in carrying it out is due to Yankee 
genius. : 
The honey extractor works on the principle of centrifugal force, 
and by its use honey may be thrown from the combs before it is 
capped over, or afterward if the cappings be first removed with a 
knife. By this practice the comb is used over and over again, 
and as a result, at least twice as much honey can be secured. 
Experiment proves that it takes at least twenty pounds of honey 
to secure one of comb, besides the time of secretion is lost, as 
bees are usually quiet when employed in secreting the wax-scales. 
Extracting is often very necessary to furnish room for the 
queen, so that she may lay eggs. In times of great honey secre- 
tion, the workers so fill the cells with honey that the queen finds 
no place for her eggs, so brood-rearing ceases, and as the workers 
live only for a few weeks in the active season, depletion of the 
hive is rapid and sometimes is carried to a fatal extent. 
When bees cease gathering, from lack of nectar secretion the 
queen stops laying, and all brood-rearing ceases. Nothing is 
found to pay the apiarist so well as to feed sparingly, whenever 
there is a cessation from gathering honey, and so keep his colonies 
strong. The extracted honey furnishes a cheap and excellent 
food for this purpose. 
