235 



all the time witli 100 colonies." It will, therefore, prove a great boon 

 to all having' numerous out-apiaries. 



One of the greatest advantages over any plan for the prevention ot 

 swarming yet proposed, which Mr. Laugdon's system will have, should 

 it prove on further trial all that it now promises, is that it will not only 

 prevent more eflt'ectually than any other the actual issuance of swarms, 

 but, while not requiring any manipulation antagonistic to the known 

 instincts of bees, it will prevent all desire to swarm — will completely 

 do away with the " swarming fever," so fatal to the hopes of the comb- 

 honey producer. Another great feature of it will be the more rigid 

 selection of breeding stock, which it will facilitate. Intelligent selec- 

 tion can accomplish for this pursuit as much as it has done for the 

 breeders of our larger domestic animals. Furthermore, a strong natural 

 inclination toward swarming on the part of any race of bees, otherwise 

 possessed of very desirable traits, will not, under this system, oblige 

 the rejection of such race. Eventually the disposition to swarm must 

 through constant suppression become less, or, in time it may even dis- 

 appear^ giving us the long-sought non-swarming strain. 



THE SYSTEM TESTED PRACTICALLY. 



A brief statement of the success which has attended Mr. Langdon's 

 practical test of his system during 1892 will be of interest in this con- 

 nection. In a letter dated December 24, 1892, he wrote: 



Last season I tried the device on 100 hives. Except in one instance the bees did no 

 fighting. Why they do not fight when united in this way I can not say. It cer- 

 tainly did not discourage them in honey gathering, for my yield from the 100 hives 

 was 6,000 pounds of comb honey, or an average of 60 pounds per hive, some pairs 

 yielding 150 pounds, and it has been counted a poor season for bees in my locality 

 this year. After one season's trial of the device and plan I do not know of a single 

 fault or objection to it. 



L NOTES ON APHIDIDiE.* 



By Herbert Osborn and F. A. Sirrine, Aynes, loiva. 



The following notes upon the habits of certain species of Aphides 

 can not be considered as absolutely proving migrations, though it is 

 thought for some of them that the observations approach demonsti-a- 

 tion.t We would prefer, of course, to be able to state our conclusions 



*Under this title the authors presented at the meeting of the Iowa Academy of 

 Sciences, December 28, 1892, a number of additions to the list of known Iowa species 

 and some biological notes. The latter only are reproduced here. 



t We have made many similar observations and a large number are recorded in 

 our notes, yet unpublished. We can thus confirm seveial of the observations of Prof. 

 Osborn and Mr. Sirrine, and particularly the one regarding the apparent identity of 

 Coloplia nlmicola and C. eragrostidifi. We are convinced of the identity of these two 

 species which occur commonly upon Ulmus and Eragrostis at Washington, although 

 we have not succeeded in satisfactorily colonizing individuals from the grass upon 

 the tree.— C. V. R. 



