JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
366 
[ October 20, 1881. 
afterwards they had accepted a new imported Ligurian queen. 
Why ?—Buzz. 
[The case is by no means a rare one, and may be thus explained. 
The strange queen was in the first case caged in the hive before 
the bees had become aware of their loss, and was thus exposed to 
a hostile attack. The odour of ejected poison would then remain 
about the queen and cage, and serve to continue the hostility. 
Had the repeated caging been nersevered in, and care taken that 
the queen could not starve, which she seems almost to have done, 
success would have probably crowned your efforts within a day 
or two. As such cases are rather frequent it is common to allow 
the bees to manifest their sense of the loss of a queen before 
caging a stranger. In the second case the odour of the poison 
remaining on the queen served to intensify the hatred that was 
probably developed in the same way as at first. By the time the 
imported Ligurian was introduced the bees had become fully 
aware of their loss, and were thus prepared to accept a stranger 
without much ceremony.] 
POISONOUS HONEY. 
[Translated from the “ BienenzeHungCommunicated by Mr. Alfred 
Neighbour .] 
In No. 10 of the Bienenzcitung for 1880 Professor Dr. Miinter of 
Greifswald declared that the question as to the poisonous character 
of certain kinds of honey was still an open one, which required 
further investigation. It may therefore interest your readers to know 
that I am able at least to vouch for the correctness of the assertion 
that some kinds of honey are poisonous, several cases of poisoning 
having come to my own knowledge. I especially remember one case 
where a considerable number of powerful young men had partaken 
of some honey from a nest of wild bees, in consequence of which all 
became ill. Those who had eaten but little of it because they did 
not like the honey only suffered from sickness, vomiting, stomach¬ 
ache, and diarrhoea; others who had partaken more freely were 
attacked with giddiness and pressure of the blood to the head, and 
other serious symptoms showed themselves. My informant in this 
case is my friend Mr. Emil Odebrecht, an engineer, who became 
seriously alarmed at the state of several of his men, who were in the 
interior of a primeval forest beyond the reach of medical assistance. 
Unfortunately I have not been able to ascertain with certainty what 
bees the honey had been taken from, but from the accounts I received 
I am inclined to think that it had come from the Trigona, called 
Cagafogo here. Knowing how fond the Cagafogos are of carrion and 
other nasty substances, I always had such an aversion to their honey 
that I never could persuade myself to taste it.* 
Blumenau, Sta. Catharina, Brazil, 20th July, 1880. 
(Signed) Fritz Muller. 
THE CAGAFOGO BEE. 
Of our numerous honeybees without stings (Melipona and Trigona) 
I have never seen any visiting carrion except the Cagafogos. In the 
highlands of Curitibanos I noticed on some pieces of fresh beef, 
which had been salted and hung up to dry, a few other species of 
Trigona and Melipona, as well as Apis mellifica, which has become 
wild there, but whether the brine attracted them or the meat I am 
unable to say. The juice of putrifying meat probably serves as food 
for the Cagafogos : altogether their peculiar taste distinguishes them 
from all other bees in this country. I am doubtful whether they 
collect honey from flowers at all, or whether they visit them for the 
sake of their pollen only. They are rarely to be seen on flowers, 
and then usually on those that emit a bad odour, which flowers are 
generally avoided by other bees. They are also found on offensive¬ 
smelling hairs of leaves, stalks, or calyces of different plants, on parts 
of trees where the bark has been removed, on newly cut sugarcane, 
or they may be seen occupied with their milk-cows, the larvae of 
membracines. The food of the other species of Melipona and Trigona 
of this country consists almost exclusively of honey gathered from 
flowers in addition to pollen. One species only, the Arapua (Trigona 
ruficus), is in the habit of gnawing trees in order to obtain the juice 
which escapes, and it also frequently destroys the green youngshoots 
of Orange trees. The different species of bees seem to have a pre¬ 
ference for different flowers, the probable cause of which may be 
found partly in the difference in length of their tongues, and partly 
in their preferring a certain odour or taste of the honey. The pretty 
little Jaty (Trigona Jaty), whose honey is highly esteemed here, is 
most particular in its choice of flowers. It visits hardly any but the 
choicest sweet-scented flowers, such as Roses, Orange blossoms, &c. 
Apis mellifica is less particular in this respect than any of our native 
* It is well known that at times Melipona honey when collected from certain 
plants is poisonous, especially that gathered from the Muntubinha, being of a 
green colour, is said to cause violent diarrhoea. The best honey in Brazil, we 
understand, is to be obtained from Melipona pallida (the Mancuba). AVe were 
not aware that some—perhaps all—species of Trigona visit carrion. It would 
be interesting to know the reason why the Trigona is fond of carrion. We 
presume they visit it in order to obtain water if they are unable to find it else¬ 
where. Even our honey bee does not despise manure water, &c. We should be 
very much obliged for any information Mr. Fritz Muller could give us on this 
subject.—(Signed) THE Editor.— {From the “ Bienenzeilung,” No. 4, 15f/t 
February, 1881.) 
bees. It gathers almost any honey that is accessible, which, by the 
way, does not say much for its highly developed sense of smell, 
which Wolff ascribes to it. 
To return once more to the Cagafogos. As they prefer odours 
which disgust us they themselves possess a most offensive smell. 
They are the only kind of our domesticated honey bees which, though 
not possessed of a sting fit for use, yet prepare a poison for their 
defence. Not only near their nests, but also where they congregate 
in large numbers, as on carrion, on parts of trees where the bark has 
been removed, on membracine larvae, &c., they rush against the face 
of any person who disturbs them and discharge a drop of acrid poison 
which stings like fire (hence their name), and reddens or even blisters 
tender parts of the skin.f 
Blumenau, Santa Catharina, Brazil, 1 \th July, 1881. 
Signed) Fritz Muller. 
CONTRACTED HIVES FOR WINTER. 
In reply to Mr. Pettigrew’s request for results on the subject 
oE contracted hives duriDg winter, in my case it appears to su : t 
the bees best to crowd them on to as few frames as they can be 
got. That it is good for and healthful to the bees I infer from the 
fact that few are dead in the spring—perhaps six to a dozen in 
each hive ; and that it is good for the bee-keeper is proved by the 
small quantity comparatively of food that is consumed. The 
“ why ” in this case also I leave to the scientist to be fully ex¬ 
plained.—Buzz. 
BEE SHOWS. 
During the last ten years considerable exertions have been 
made to popularise bee-keeping by having bee and honey ex¬ 
hibitions. Societies and associations have been formed and main¬ 
tained for the purpose of encouraging cottagers to keep a few 
hives of bees in their gardens, and by this means add to the com¬ 
forts of life. Many members of these associations have laboured 
with commendable industry and singleness of eye to help the 
working community in the pleasant and self-rewarding occupation 
of bee-keeping. Great efforts have been made, and yet much 
remains to be done. It is rather a difficult matter to spread 
knowledge and excite enthusiasm on the subject of bee-keeping. 
How it can be best done is a question for the consideration 
of our apiarian associations. 
The first question I would like to suggest is this, Have bee 
and honey exhibitions been successful and satisfactory ? Is 
there room for improvement? It will be readily admitted that 
all exhibitions meant to be popular should be attractive and as 
novel as possible—that stiff monotony should be avoided. The 
desire of novelty in the human mind should not be forgotten in 
writing out schedules of prizes, and in making preparations for 
bee and honey shows. Admiration for the beautiful and the 
wonderful are also common among men. People desire to see 
what is new, beautiful, and wonderful. Wherever these can be 
found people go. What was witnessed at the Manchester Exhi¬ 
bition confirms the belief that bee and honey shows will yet 
become popular institutions in Great Britain. The novelties of 
the bee tent at Manchester caused great excitement and delight, 
and doubtless in the event of another bee and honey show being 
held there it would be visited by crowds of people. 
I am not going to point out defects in or find fault with other 
exhibitions. It is always an easy matter to find fault. I think 
that improvement is likely to come from the introduction of 
variety and novelty of exhibits rather than from an abundance of 
them. Many visitors in the front tents of the Manchester Exhi¬ 
bition were oppressed with the abundance and grandeur of the 
Exhibition. One clergyman said to me that the magnificence of 
the Show was too much for the mind to grasp and realise. One 
gentleman said that if the bee tent had twice its number of 
exhibits it could not be more gratifying and satisfactory. More 
variety and novelty would have made it more gratifying and 
sensational. And this is what I would like our apiarian associa¬ 
tions to aim at in future exhibitions. With comb foundations in 
use no limit can be put to the possibilities of variety of exhibits 
in honeycomb. In addition to supers in glass, wood, and straw, 
we shall have crowns and crosses, stars and icicles, legends and 
mottoes, done in honeycomb. Bee-keeping will be popularised 
and become a source of profit to one class of the people, and a 
source of pleasure to another class. 
t The following is an extract from the letter of 14th July accompanying the 
above article—“ Please excuse the delay in replying to your request in No. 4 of 
the Bienenzeilung. I send you to-day the meagre information I possess of our 
Cagafogos. I have not been fortunate with these bees, none of the colonies 
which I brought home from the forest remaining alive for any length of time. 
Indeed it would have been more difficult to observe the doings of these irritable 
and offensive bees than those of other more peaceful bees.”—(Signed) Tue 
Editor.' —(From the “ Bienenzeilung,” No. 19, dated 1st Oct., 1881.) 
