The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-28
BEES AND FRUIT.


paper read before the Arkansas Horti
cultural Society:
Before condemning The bees let us
briefly examine the evidence upon which
rests this tlcnunciation, and sec whether
it is Just. Those who dcnouncc them
are free to admit that it is at particular
times only that the fruit is injured by
thcm-timcs when there is II great scar.
city Of bee forage; when the flowers
have ceased to yield honey, at the close
of il hot, dry summer. 1t is found that
they will then sometimes cluster upon
and attack grapes or 9th er fruit that has
been damaged by birds or from other
causes. 1t is said that. with their
strong mandibles, the bees may tear
open substances much stronger than the
skin of Il grape. But it has been shown
by observation that, to get through, the
skin has to be cut, not broken, by the
bees; and that is impossible, more mpos-
siblc, indeed. for bees to bite grape
than for a person to bite, with his
teeth, Il large watermelon as long as it
is whole. The bees will only remain
on such punches of fruit as have been,
by some chance, rupturcd. Select a
choice bunch Of fully ripe grapes, open
Il hive of bees and lay the bunch on the
frames over the cluster Of bees, then re-
place the cover. They will at once pro-
cced to closely examine it, though there
are no cracked or injured berries on the
bunch. Wait I'd hours and again open
the hive, when the grapes will be found
perfect. Now scratch or puncturc some
Of the berries and replace them in the
hive over the bees. They will immcdi-
ately commence sucking the juice from
those which have been puncturcd, the
perfect berries remaining untouched.
After thus leaving sound lunches Of
grapes for three days they will still be
found as perfect rs ever.
Again, perfect punches Of grapes
have been dipped in honey and placed
in the hive or on the alighting board.
The bees Immediately gather up the
honey, and they will polish the grapes
until they look like black beads. Though
the grapes may lay there two weeks or
more and until they have become shrv-
clled up, the skill will never be broken
by the bees.
If another bunch, having about half
the grapes scratched open, be placed be-
side this one, the injured grapes will
soon be dcvoured, except the skin and
seeds, while those not scratched will not
be puncturcd by the bees.
Some have objected that probably the
bees of selected colonies had not vet
learned to cut the skin of the grape. To
dispose Of this objection, other punches
were selected that We're most damaged
and most covered with bees. All the
damaged grapes were carefully cut
away and the bees allowed to return to
the lunches. Six hours later the grapes
were found intact, not bee having
been able to cut them. The next day
all the damaged grapes were removed
from other lunches, and the remaining
perfect grapes puncturcd with Il lin.
at evening the punctured grapes had
small depression at the place Of pune
turc, this depression being caused by the
bees who had sucked through the pin
hole all the juice they were able to
reach. But the pin hole had not been
enlarged, thus showing not only that
the bees are unable to puncture a sound
grape, but that they are unable to en-
large holes already made. These and |
other experiments have been repeated, !
and have been carefully performed by |
experienced fruit growers; and the |
punches were selected from the ripest in
the vineyard
That bees are unable to in jurc sound |
fruit, has been thoroughly asccrtained /
by committee for that purpose, APP
pointed by the Society Of Horticulture
and Grape Culture of Bordeaux, France,
and the Society Of Bee Culture of La
Gironde. Nearly all the members of the
last named society arc owners of the
and are among the producers
OF the famous wine of Bordeaux, and
were interested in the results of the in
vcstigation. In their experiments sweet
plums, apples, apricots. pears