Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-05-18

ground in search OF myriapods or
thousand-legs. The chief complaint
against the species by both profess
sional beekeepers and others has
been that it preys largely upon honey
bees. One bee raiser in Iowa, sus-
pecting the kingbirds of feeding upon
his bees, shot a number near his
hives; but when the stomachs of the
birds we're examined by an expert en-
tomologist, not a trace of honeybees
could be found.
An examination of Sos stomachs
collected in various parts of the coun-
try was made by the biological survey,
but only % were found to contain re-
mains of honeybees. In these % stom-
achs there were in all 81 honeybees,
of which 81 were drones, 8 we're GER
tainly workers, and the remaining two
were too badly broken to be further
identified.
The insects that constitute the
great bulk of the food are noxious
species, largely beetles-May beetles,
click beetles (the larvae of which are
known as wireworms), weevils, which
prey upon fruit and grain, and a host
of others. Wasps, wild bees and ants
are conspicuous elements of the food,
far outnumbering the hive bees. Dur
ing summer many grasshoppers and
crickets, as we'll as leaf hoppers and
other bugs, also are eaten. In the
stomachs examined we're a number of
robber flies-insects which prey large
ly upon other insects, especially honey
bees, and which are know to commit
in this way extensive depredations. 1t
is thus evident that the kingbird, by
destroying these flies, actually does
good work for the apiarist. The 26
robber flies found in the stomachs may
be considered more than an equiva-
lent for the eight worker honeybees
already mentioned. A few caterpil-
lars are eaten, mostly belonging TO
the group commonly known as cut
worms, all the species of which are
harmful.
About II per cent of the food con-
sists of small native fruits, comprising
roadsides and thickets. as dogwood
berries, elderberries and wild grapes
The kingbird is not reported as eating
cultivated fruit to an injurious extent,
and it is very doubtful if this is ever
the case.
In the western states the Arkansas
kingbird is not so domestic in its hab-
it's as its eastern relative, preferring
to live among scattering oaks on
lonely hillsides, rather than in or
chards about buildings, The work it
does, however. in the destruction of
noxious insects fully equals that of
any member of its family. Like other
fiycatchers. il subsists mostly upon in
sects taken in midair. though ii eats
a number of grasshoppers, probably
taken from the ground. The bulk of
its food consists of beetles, bugs,
wasps and wild bees. Like its east
ern representative, it has been accused
of feeding to an injurious extent upon
the honeybee. In an examination of
90 stomachs of this bird. great care
was taken to identity every insect or
fragment that had any resemblance to
a honeybee: as a result. 80 honeybees
were identified. OF which % were
males or drones, and one q worker.
These were contained in four stom-
achs, and were the sole contents of
three: in the fourth they constituted
90 per cent of the food. Ii is evident
that the bee-eating habit is only occa-
sional and accidental, rather than
habitual: and ii is also evident that
If this ratio of drones TO workers we're
maintained, the bird would be of more
benefit than harm TO the apiary.
The Cassin kingbird has a more
soatherly range than the Arkansas
flycatc ler Examination of number
of stomsehs shows that its food habits
are similar to those of others of the
group.
Three points seem TO be clearly es-
tablished in regard to the food of the
kiugbirds-(O that about 80 per cent
consists of insects, mostly injurious
species. ca that the alleged habit OF
preying upon honeybees is much less
prevalent than las been supposed. and
probably does not result in any great