The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-13
AMERICAN BEES MAKE
JAPANESE BEE HUSTLE
Imported to Show the Lazy In.
sects Of Mikado's Kingdom
M ~ How to Work.
EXPERIMENT A SUCCESS.

TOXIC. Oct. 10
American bees are being introduced
into Japan to rouse tho bee OF native
growth from Its lamenrable lazlness.
BY means OF the American Immigrant
II Is hoped to change the facc OF Japan.
and already there has been marvellous
Improvement In the quality Of the fruit
trees that grow In that country.
Tho usefulness of the bee as n fertilizer
In remarkable. Travelling from flower TO
flower each time that 1t alights some
grains OF ,pOllen cling to It's tiny feet.
These are dropped on It's visit to the next
flower. q
BY this rneans the pollen or seed-bear-
Ing powder OF the flower is mingled with
that OF another. some such process being
essential to the producuveness Of the
flower.
Lazy Japanese Bees.
In Japan. however. tho native bees ars
so lazy that they do not skim from flower
to flower. like the bees that We know.
Tho result is decided inferiority OF Jap
ahese pears and apples and all fruits
whose blossomins depends on the activity
OF the bee.
Recently Japanese agriculturists hi,
upon tho plan OF importing species OF
bee more active than the native worker.
more than edualed expectation.
Extraordinary success has already beer
attained by Japanese farmers. who have
introduced golden queen bees from Amer
lea into native hives. that Japan may
have g. race of vigorous bees OF her own.
Her majesty has mated, in each cnse,
with native bee. and tho progeny have
proved ngile, highly intelligent little Great.
nres. which have already caused per-
ceptible Improvement In apples. pears, to-
matoes. cucumbers and melons.
Massacre Of the StinglNe.
When beehives were introduced into
the native stingless bee. but the golden
bee Is SO am!ablc that so fur no such
disastrous behavior has been reported II
Japan.
Each queen travels in box inches by
2ia inches. with eight compartments, two
being filled with honey and sugar. She
occupies the rovalSsuite with eighteen to
twenty-five h,sndmaidens or slaves. who
feed and battle her. polish her tresses
and preen her wings.
But even thus she cannot travel 1000
miles without rest. for confinement
weakens her. SO "Bee Hotels" have been
opened at Los Angeles. In California. and
at Honolulu At each place she is en-
tertained for week among otticc, bees.
1000 Eggs Day.
From early May until October queen
bee lays from 1000 to 1900 eggs a day. She
works fifteen minutes at time, and
rests FIVE.
But these are not princess eggs. The
queen lays those specially. and when her
daughters emerge she destroys them, un-
less scientifically prevented.
Each princess is eventually sent out to
secure mate. She mounts into the sun
shine, pursued by countless suitors, until
at last one valiant lover SURPRISES al!
the rest and claims his buzzlng bride.
Her romance Is tragicaliy brief Her
consort dIes after the first embrace. and
she returns to the hive TO live for five
or six years,
The golden bee rarely s.ings. and may
he handled almost with impunity, One
hive alone has collected annually 80
hounds OF honey. and the queens are
worth from SIS to 500 apiece.
The Importation Of golden queen bees 81
info Japan on a large scale is one OF the
most remarkable agricultural and horti-
cultural enterprises in history.