Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-01-10
BUSY, BITING BEES.
They Biz and Bite to De-
stroy Fruit Largely.
ESSAY BY HIRAM HAMILTON,
Who Proves the Destructive Power
OF these Otherwise Useful
Insects.

1th, 1850;
Requested to lead the discussion on
the above question by the committee,
prefer to reduce to writing what have
to say. An extensive and successful
bee-keeper for more than quarter OF
century in California, know whereof l
affirm when l say "They do"
There is an old tradition among bee
keepers that bees are not able 10 pune
ture fruit; that they are armed only
with tubular proboseis. with which
they suck honey and other liquids, and
that with 1t they suck The interior OF
fruit already punctured by insects or
birds.
have no patience with the oandor Of
an apiarist who, at this late day, repeats
this abnurdity. He must be very stupid
who has not learned better by his obser-
walton, to say nothing Of the revelations
of the microscope and of chronological
science.
The American Cyclopedia. found in
nearly. every one Of the 5000 school Ii
S..fss in California, ia good authority
on all srlissts treated. In an exhaust
i've article on the Anatomy and Physi.
oloey Of the Honey Bee, " may be found
the following (pige so. vol. 3.) HE
who runs may read" 'The bss has
four membrsnous naked wings, the
upper being the larger; the mouth is
furnished with two strong mandibles,
and four paipi. largest In the working
bees, used, not SO much In eating az in
breaking hard substances In their vari-
GUS labors; the teeth, concave scales
with sharp edges, are attached to the
ends OF the Jaws and play horizontally.
For taking up liquids it has long pro.
boscis or trunk, performing the office OF
q tongue, though 1t Is formed by pro-
lonration Of the upper lips; 1t Is solid
and not tubular, like the trunks Of
other hymenopterous insects. The trunk
is supported on pedicle and is pro.
tected by a double sheath. The central
portion. which appears like thread or
silky hair. under the microscope is seen
to terminate in sort of button fringad
with hairs. and the whole organ to its
very base is surrounded with similar
frinaes. which are admirably adapted
for licking up honey or other nuid all
ment." j.
This settles the question as to the
bees armament, aud his ability to punc-
ture fruit.
II anything further on this point is
necessary, let US refer to our experience
as apiarists. Our early methods Of keep
ing honeycombs in place when transfer
ring from box hives to movable frames,
was by use of twinej bat the bees, by
using their strong mandibles, soon cut
the twine and let the combs fall. To
prevent this. Nr. Haroiscn secured
patent on the use OF strips Of tin IN place
Of the twine. A covering OF strong cot
ton cloth over the frames, II left long.
would be cut to pieces and cast out OF
the hive. Again: Ii bees were armed
only with the traditional hollow tube,
how could they cleanse their hives and
make cir combi The thing is too alb.
surd to be entertained for one moment.
Their ability being established. next
comes, Will they eat fruify Their great.
est apologisis freely admit that they will
If the skin Of the fruits broken. am
friend to the honey-bee. ! am also
friend to the bee keeper, being related to
him by the strong tie OF consanguinity.
The profits Of my apiary for the years OF
80. 100 and 81, were $40 900 each year.
have not the slightest inclination to
slander or misrepresent that 81 nonym OF
industry. / am persuaded that the bee
would never injure fruit II his master
would keep him supplied With honey
bearing flowers. II the bee-keeper
would make an outlay of soil. water aud
labor in sowing honey-producing howers
equal to the outlay and toll the fruit
gro yer has to make am sure that his
bees would not be Troublesome to bis
neiqhbors. In Cslifornia there Ia hardly
day In the year when bees cannot and
will not work. aud unless the owner can
afford to keep his bees employed in some
harmless labor he must remove them to
the mountains, where they will be prof
table to himself and harmless to others.
The injury to the raisin-mskers by the
bees in the Santa Ana valley is so great
that il cannot be endured another sea-
son. The bee-keepers in the mountains
east OF that valley ara offering to buy at
fair valuation all the bees in the val.
lev. But there is q class of bee-keepers
that claim that bees ere an advantage
to the fruit. grower, by carrying pollen
from flower to flower. thus setting the
fruit.
Tnis theory, like many Others, has
found its grave in California. If the
effect Of the pollen is to set the fruit
surely the pollen Of each forer 10 suffi-
cient for its own. If not sufficient. the
effect Of the bee Is not to increase it.
The bee robs the flower Of its pollen,
gathering all be can to carry to his hive
for food.
II shere was not enough to accomplish
the purpose in the frat place, surely
there will not be after 1t. "But," says
q traditional friend. lit is not the
amount of the pollen that sets the
fruity It Is the crossing OF it,"
affirm that this has never been demon
strated. All that has been proven on
this point Is, that by crossing the
; pollen the seed 10 changed, aud, Il
planted. will produce = new variety ol
fruit. The fruit itself is not changed;
therefore yellow bell1ower tree will
always produce yellow bellhowers. nc
matter how much crossing OF pollen
there may be, also. Newton pippir
will always prodnce Newton ptppina.
But the seeds OF the fruit may produce
new variety. New varieties are pro.
ducad that way, and in no other way
am now ready TO affirm that no fruit
grower ever produces his new varieties
by the aid Of bees or other insects. II
the grower wishes to produce new va.
fietY he raust tend to the pollen himself
and not trust IL to bees or other iusects
should be neglect this, he might plant
from youth to old age without success
am now ready to prove that the set
ting OF fruit Is not In the least dependent
on bees. / am o pioneer aud was en-
gagged In buying and selling fresh fruit II
1851. The orchards and vineyards abou
the Missions were as fruitful then IS now
OF have been since; yet no bee was seer
in California till four or i've years later
The first bees imported into California
were brought by a Mr.. Sheldon. VIII
placed them in charge Of b. Kennedy
Of Santa Clara, snd on returniug acros
the bay met his death on the ill-fate,
Jenny Lind. These two swarms wer
soon under my charge. transferred
them into movable combs, Langstrot
hives. and sent them on their mission o
usefulness. Up to that time the orchard
andyineyards never failed in tfeir abund
ance Of fruit.
While the injury done by bees to rai'
ins in the Santa Ana Valley has beel
great the past year, the injury to orang
trees has been greater. The bees carr
the red scale from tree to tree. Tn
scale ia this most destructive and tn
most difficult to destroy of any that pa
ever visited the Santa Ana Valley. Th
young of this pest are almost TOO ANA 1r,
to be visible to the naked eye. III
wingless females are carried from tree
tree by bees.
Simple declaration, without the ev
dence on which they are founded, a.
valueless. Therefore. ! will give th
facts which establish my propontiol
First, the habit and manner OF the ?,
in gathering pollen makes II practicaol
30 collect these microscopic mites vii
pollen and carry them from one tree
another. That they do this 10 evides
from the fact that the lemon tree, whit
10 always in bloom and covered vii
bees, is the frat to be infected with rt
Q..-.xI ..l~.4oA -. al -, ..