River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-07-30
POISONED HONEY.
Why II Is That the Queen Bee Gets
None of 1t.

tary compared with those which stand
between queens of the honeybee and
such risk. Curiously enough, this
is phase of the internal economy OF
the beehive which appears to have es-
capped observation.
I'm the British isles" says the Sci
entific American, mo poisonous honey
is collected. If it exists the bees have
learned to avoid it. Probably there is
none, as the honey from at least one
dangerous plant, the deadly night
shade, is harmless. Ivy honey would
be the most suspicious of any gathered
on a large scale, and it only exerts.
so far as observation goes, a slightly
laxative effect on the digestive organs.
Although in this country no poisonous
honey is known, it is met with in 9TH
er places, notably in Asiatic Turkey.
1t was in this region that Xenophons
soldiers were poisoned $500 years ago
by honey from the Azelia pontica. a
plant which still fiourishes in Ar
menia. Some centuries later a Roman
army suffered similarly, but less se-
verely, there being no deaths.
"The precaution of compelling the
cook to eat portion of every dish.
which is the usual safeguard of des.
potic rulers, or the still more print.
tive plan of giving the first helping to
a little dog, can be eluded by a clevey'
Borgia by having only one-half of a
bird or pastry poisoned. In a waSp's
nest each forager on returning pro-
ceeds directly to the queen and offers
refreshment. Consequently the queen
is sometimes destroyed by slowly act
ing poison. Further as regards wasps,
it is observed that whom any larvae
not recently fed perceive the queen
receiving food they become restless. IL
nearly grown they wag their heads in
a suggestive way, which plainly con-
veys a demand for a share. Each for
ager after feeding the queen gives the
balance of his load direct to the
nurses.
I'm the case of the honeybee one
possible reason why no virulently poi
sonous honey reaches the hive may
be that the insect foolish enough to
collect any would probably die, as the
so-called honey-sack is really stom-
ach in which a preliminary digestive
process proceeds. This is proved by
the polariscope, which shows that,
while the nectar of the flowers Is pure
cane sugar, or levulose, the substance
in the hive cells is saccharimetrically
half dextrose and half cane sugar.
Dextrose is invert sugar, coarse va
riety of which is the glucose of COM
merce. Forager bees returning to tho
beehive place the half digested prod
uct known as honey in their storeroom
with other honey. This mixing would
have the effect of alternating a
poisoned load should such be brought
into the hive.
"Foraging bees never feed the queen
or young larvae, but they give a
mouthful or two to drones i'll passing.
Just before sealing for the metamor-
phosis workers and drones are fed
with honey mixed with pollen. Not so
the young queens who only get fur
Their supply of the redigested milky
substance known as chyle, which Is
the sustenance Of all larvae indis-
criminately during the first three days
of their existence. During the chry-
sails stage there is no feeding. 1t Is
the business of a gang, distinct for
the time being, to cater for the queen
and young. They bring the food from
the stores and submit it to the diges-
tive process referred to, after which
it is regurgitated to supply the needs
of the queen and young larvae. The
attendants are numerous, and each
supplies only a minute quantity The
queen bee is so constituted that her di-
gestive system is capable of assimt-
lating only the prepared food OF chyle.
She will die in a few hours on a
comb containing honey, although kept
at the temperature of the hive.
"Thus it would appear that the safe
guards are: First, bee collecting poi
sonous honey would probably die be.
fore reaching the hive; second, that
if one succeeded in depositing poi
soned honey, the circumstance that IL
did so would prove the poison to be
not virulent, and it's mixture with 9TH
er honey in the storeroom would Still
further alternate the poison and rem
der it harmless. This is the stage at
which the product becomes human
food. It has, as stated above, occurred
that poisoned honey has passed both
these lines of defense; third, that
should the honey be still deleterious
the alimentary attendants of the queen
would first suffer, and only those
bringing wholesome food would reach
her. as a struggle for the privilege OF
feeding her majesty is continually in
progress; fourth, that should the
stores pass the three safeguards be-
fore mentioned there is still another,
viz. that each one of the queens at
tendants feeds her only for second
at time, and thus she would never
get a sufficient quantity to affect her
seriously. 1t is apparent, therefore,
that the queen is abundantly protect
ed from being fed with poisonous
honey.
SUPPORT FOR BOOSTING BOARD.