The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-11-27
BEES TO KILL MICE.
Agricultural Department Finds
Ally in tho philippines.
STiNos OF THE LITTLE
Insect Said TO 80 Poisonous to
Ina email Animals Will
30 In,roduc I'd Into This
cNun'ry.

Thesgricultursl department at Wash
ing IN is TO make determined attack
upon the American field moufe. His
determination in certain localities hiss
been resolved upon and the Philippine
bun bleboe is to be brought into service
az the cxecutioner.
This was the statement made by
Prof. g. 81. Riley, OF the department,
who passed through Ohioago last week
en- route to Sac Francisco aud the Piiip-
pines. Prof. Riley, of the division Of
entomology, will devote year in rhe
Philippines to the study Of bagRaud in
scots of the archipelago. The hun
ming bird" bumblebee OF tho Philip
pines will be Que OF the main objects
OF his inquiry, Il is planned to im port
the big bee of tho Philippines into the
United States that he may make war
upon the American Geld mouse, T. ro-
dent which has caused the farmers of
the country loss Of thousands of dol
lars.
II is ap old saying among farmers"
said Prof Riley, reports q Chicago pa.
p3f, "thst when there is plenty of
glover there are lots q bumblebees.
What the farmer really means is that
vten there are lots Of bumblebees tLere
,s plenty of clover. He might carry
bis logic further by saying that when
AcId mice are SCARCE there are plenty of
PGmblebees, and that when thn.c are
i.enty OF cats there are few field mioa.
fNln nrHnr tn H. Il
It the country the agricultural depart
nent has the choice Of two things, to
Increase the number of cats in the couu-
try, which will destroy the field mouse,
or to take away from the rodent MS
suppiT - winter food Either method
IL successful would result in a gain of
thousands of dollars TO the farmers.
The field mouse is very fond Of bum
6iebee honey and mover l.sls an op.
portunity to deprivs the iuseot Of the
rewards of his work. The honey taken
away from the bumbleSee causes him
to perish In the winter time. Hence
short clover crop for tho bunblebae is
a carrier OF pollen from one clover
oIans TO another. Thus when there
are lots Of bumblebees clover comes to
Iosriection. Ii the field mouse has de
,,;royed the bumblobee there is NO IN
nor time sna IL 'f4r@9eYs iUass 10 the sum "
irgiy. This is not only true Of clover,
bus many other plants.
We hold that the bumblabee is .
valuable member Of insect society and
that the field mouse is worthless
scamp who likes good dinner but does
not want to work for it.
The Philippine bumb'obee is an
entirely different insect from bis Ameri.
car cousin. He is fully aa inch and q
half long snd looks like a small bird.
dc is full of business and has no fear of
such small animal a. tho field mouse.
He is harmless fellow when let alone,
but his sting is deadly to smaller forms
of animal life. He will fight for his
own with the tenGoity of pugilist snd
any unsorupulous field mouse invad ing
mis- domain will have to fight for every
thing he gets.
"a field mouse after receiving the
sting Of Philippine bumblebee would
muoh resemble the wrecked appearance
Of some OF our college boys after the
Thanksgiving football game. He would
AS'S ~ 10y y e. 'OA SAGAlos
1t is the intention of the sgricul-
tursl department 10 introduce this bee
into the United States il climatic con-
ditions Will permit He will be sent
to the warmer parts of tho country at
first, where he may gradually become
hardened to the more severe climate.
1t is then hoped be will grow and
spread until he covers the entire coun-
try, The department has its eye upon
other insects in the Philippines which
may prove of value to agricultural inter.
ests. There are several varieties OF
honey bees which will be given trial.
A spt ces of tree toad, which has 8
deadly antipathy for certain kinds of
citrus insects, will be introduced into
southern CalitorniA with the hope tha:
ltmay be useful in the extermIn alton
of the black or arnUrsd scale, WHOM
has caused sO great e loss 10 fruit
growing interests of late years"