Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-12-06
1eas
r DEN
DO BEES INJuRE FRulT2

One side OF the Qucstion--A Strong
Case Far the Bees.
A house was built, 16 feet long by 10
feet wide and feet high at the cor
ners, having the sides partly covered
with wire cloth and large screen doors
in each end. The house was entirely
beeproof and was made 50 that the
temperature and light IN the house
were substantially the same as outside.
Along the sides Of the house were built
shelves, upon which fruit was placed
so that the rays Of the sun might strike
the different varieties in different
stages Of ripeness from green to dead
ripe. Plates of ripe peaches, plums,
pears, grapes etc, were placed on the
shelves. Clusters Of different kinds Of
grapes, green and ripe, sound and i'm
perfect and such as had been stung by
insects, were suspended from the raft
ers and cTossties Of the house. Sept. I
three colonies Of bees were removed
from their hives carefully and quickly
so that they would carry very little
honey with them when transferred
from one hive to another Two of the
colonies were hybrid bees and one Ital-
ian. These colonies were hiyed on
empty combs and placed in the house
with the fruit. A wood stove was put
In the house, and for a number of hours
each day high temperature was
maintained The physical conditions
which would ordinarily prevail in ma
ture during a protracted and severe
drought were artifcially produced and
steadily maintained. The bees were
brought to the stages Of hunger, thirst
and starvation by these artificial con-
ditions.
Every inducement and opportunity
was afforded the bees to satisfy their
hunger and thirst by attacking the
fruit exposed They daily visited the
fruit in great numbers and labored dill
igently to improve the only remaining
source of subsistence. They inspected
and took what advantage they could of
every opening at the stem or crack in
the skin OF puncture made by insects
which deposit their eggs in the skin of
| grapes. They regarded the skin of
peaches, pears, plums and other fruits
having thick covering simply as sub
| jects for inquiry and investigation and
not objects for attack. If the skin was
| broken or removed, they would in case
of need lap and suck the juices ex-
posed. The same was also true of the
grapes if the skin was broken by VIC
| lence or burst on account of the fruit
becoming overripe. The bees Tapped
and sucked the juices from the exposed
parts of the grapes and stored it in the
cells for food. They made no attempt
to grasp the skin of grapes with their
mandibles or with their claws.
If the grapes We're cut open or burst
from overripeness. the bees would lap
and suck the juice from the exposed
segments of the grape until they came
n n the film separating the exposed and
broken segments from the unbroken
segments. Through and beyond the
film separating the segments they ap-
peared TO be unable to penetrate the
outer skin, SO it was removed from
many grapes of different kinds, taking
care not to rupture The film surround
ing the pulp. When these were expos
1 cd TO the bees, they continued to lap
and suck the juices from the outer film
until it was dry and smooth. as was
the film between broken and unhrokeQ
/ aegments,- They shQH-4es.,r-n5e 'drfspositic
II to use their Jaws or claws and Il
o outer film as well as the aim betwee
q broken .segments remained whole unit
+ the pulp decayed aud dried up.
q The foregoing is one of a series Of e
@ haustive experiments conducted by Il
q agricultural department some yea
7 ago and reviewed recently in Rur;
4 New Yorker by Professor Slingerlan
+ / apropos of the lawsuit between tB
h brothers over bees and peaches. whic
bids fair to achieve lasting fam
Doubtless the other side viii soon |
vigorously heard FROM