The Seaforth News, 1961-01-05, Page 3That busy Bee
Guards Its Secret
rtbeeswould fly out into the
fields and eat from hunger, W-
aged of ,merely collecting food
and carrying it heels to the hive,
Dr. Lonnie Standifer's task
would be simple, y
For four years Dr, Standifer
has been seeking a substitute
for natural pollen which would
nourish bees through the winter
when no flowers bloom. Com-
mercial beekeepers engaged in
. the same search for centuries.
But they had neither the scien-
tific training nor the facilities
with Which the problem is being
attacked at the Southwestern
Bee Culture Laboratory, a Unit-
ed States Department, of Agri-
culture center on the University
of Arizona campus,
After testing 700 possible pol-
len substitutes with slight sue -
cess, Dr. Standiferhas shifted
his apniroach to an angle whirls
has apparently not occurred to
other researchers. He is tearing
pollen proteins -apart into their
constitutent amino acids, and
trying to duplicate them with
amines from other sources.
Why should apiarists be in-
terested in artificial pollen? The
answer is easy for anyone who
knows even a little about bees.
He knows that the workers eau.
usually store enough honey to
last a large colony through the
cold season: If they don't the
beekeeper oan supply sugar
water or some other acceptable
sweet. But pollen is just as
essential as sugar in a bee's
diet, and often it cannot he
stored in quantities sufficient
for a long, hard winter.
Even in mild climates a cote-,
ny is likely to emerge into
spring in greatly .weakened con-
dition. The first few weeks of
warm weather must be spent in
rebuilding its numbers.
If a colony could end the win-
ter with a full complement of
worker bees. They could start
immediately to' gather honey
and the apiarist could begin his
hive robbing sooner,
Furthermore, if he could, set
out something that would suit
them as well as pollen from
blossoms, more workers could
concentrate on collecting the
nectar that becomes honey
when processed insome mys-
teriqus apian way.
Not long after he was gradu-
ated from Prairie View A&M
College in Texas, Dr. Stenciller
became a member of the Bee
Culture Laboratory staff and,
was assigned to nutrition and
pollen studies. Where he mulled
over how he might test artificial
pollens, he remembered some.
THE BOMB — This is a recently
released photo of the atomic
bomb of the type which oblit-
erated Hiroshima in World War,
II. it is 28 inches in diameter,
120 inches long, 9,000 pounds.
thing he had learned In col-
lege about the domestic) bee 1-fe
could not simply set one of his
synthetics near a hive and ob-
serve hew well the bees seemed
to like it. The chances were that
they wouldn't touch it if any
real pollen were at hand.
A bee's habits are different
from those of almost any other
insect or animal. Nearly all
others eat where they find food.
Some that store provender, like
the squirrel, will satisfy their
hunger on the spot before start-
ing the day's collecting. Only.
when outside food is scarce will
they feed inside their nests or
caves, writes Ernest Douglas in
the Christian Science Monitor.
But a bee never consumes a
morsel outside the hive. It col-
lects from instinct alone, and
usually only what its instinct
says will be useful to the colony.
But if no nectar or pollen is
available, itmay collect some-
thing as useless as coal dust
or an experimental pollen sub-
stitute,
With help from. Dr, A, H,
Kemmerer and Dr. William Mc-
Caughey of . the University, of
Arizona human nutrition depart-
ment, Dr. Standifer devised his
own system for testing his sub-
stitutes. He began confining
young bees, captured just alter
hatching andbefore they in-
gested any food, in special small
cages.
"Controls" were fed natural
pollen, Other caged lots of 75
• were fed various substances that
might do in place of pollen.
Effectiveness of the substitutes
was gauged by longevity of the
bees and development of the
pharyngeal gland, usually called
the food gland. Unless a bee is
well nourished, that organ in its
head does not grow.
This method was slow and
tedious and of the 700 s u b -
stances tried not one proved
fully satisfactory. The best is
egg albumen reduced to a pow-
der; skimmed -milk powder, se-
same seed meal, and soy flour
are almost as good. Dr. Standi-
fer, however, is notwilling to
recommend any of these.
Again, after conferences with
Dr. Kemmerer and Dr. Mc-
Caughey, the decision was made
toshift this line of research
mainly to chemistry.
Pollen is useful to the bee
because of its protein. Every
protein is made up of 21 or 22
different amino acids, and in
no two proteins are these acids
put together in the same pat-
tern.
Now Dr. Standifer is extract-
ing proteins from pollens known
to be favourites with bees, and
separating them into their ani -
mo, components. One of these
clays he hopes to- build a com-
pound which will duplicate ' a
pollen' protein,
But he admits that even then
he may be far from the goal.
There may be some 'unidentifi-
able "growth factor" in pollen
that is indispensable to bees.
Dr. Kemmerer, incidentally, be-
lieves that there is some un-
known factor in honey that is
highly favourable to people.
Dr. Standifer hopes to solve
other bee -nutrition mysteries as
he goes along. "Do bees need
vitamins?" he asks. "We have.
no evidence of it. Do they need
fats? We simply don't know.
What are their mineral needs
and do they get them from wa-
ter, nectar, or pollen? Maybe
we'll find out somewhere along
the road to a substitute pollen."
Q. What should a man do when
passing a woman in the narrow
corridor of a train, so that he
may avoid jostling her too much?
A. He can step into an empty
compartment, if there is one --
otherwise,
otherwise,just flattenhimself as
much as possible, face inward,
against either wall,
•
10.Abhor
CROSSWORD 11. NatIvee
nf
PUZZLE16, Vehicle on
runners
ACROSS 2. Present time g0. Keens from
1. Along with 8, Carried along harm
4. Short visits with the - 21, Sound to
9. That girl current .attract
18, In favor of 4..Pi4ittler and attention
18. A combination daintier 22, Delicate and
14. Animal's foot 5. Afresh lacy
16. writhed B,. Cover 23, Interlaced
17. Enraged I. aehole 26. Pushes-
19. went by 3. Titter. forward
airplane 9. Reaohoe 28. Animation
20. Porta of playa across 27. Insects
81, Behind
33, Ship's tracks
24, Hurried
26. New
26. Singing
syllaIntention
le
Inten
28. tion
29. Envelop
80. Transgress
111, Ston,E (rab
32. Site for a
picture •
88, Put through.
a clove
84, Spun flax
86. Outer
86. rmentstM
tgga.ires en.
uvea
98. Secure
30. Packing
container
46. Master
18, Ponaeeson
4. Shanty
6 Cretan
mountain
47. Watch
narrows
41. vetieree
49, Stet with
5,9 owlet drtthe
stout (nau,t,)
89. Strife or
struggle
30, Part of Soviet
union
32. Meneure of
capacity
33. Mild
34. Renting
agreement
36, An army
36. Pain
87. Ash -colored
38. Halt hose
40. Metal
con raiser
41. Peculiar
42, Buy
45, 17xelanation
of triumph
NEI III in ilia II III
Ahiwet elsewhree on this page
REPORT PEACEFUL REVOLT IN ETHIOPIA — The Ethiopian Foreign
Ministry announced Dec, 14 in a radio broadcast that Crown
Prince Asfa Wosen (right) had led a peaceful revolt against the
government of his father, Emperor Haile Selassie (left), 69, The
broadcast from Addis Ababa made no mention of the Emperor,
who was paying a statevisit to Brazil.
TSI FALRMM 'FRONT
Passers-by who saw W. L.
Putman counting the leaves on
a peach tree at pt, Catharines,
Ont„ thought he was paying the
penalty for losing a bet.
But after counting 50,289
leaves, Mr. Putman, an ecologist
with the Canada Department of
Agriculture, announced that a
mature peach tree may harbour
more than five million European
red mites at one time. His state-
ment was based on an estimate
of 100 mites per leaf and was
for the records of the entomolo-
gical laboratory where Mr. Put-
man works,
The European red mite is one
or the most serious pests of fruit
trees in Canada.
* * *
A small penetration of Cana-
da's defences against invasion by
foreign pests was achieved by
the European chafer last sum-
mer, in the Niagara district of
Ontario, reports Dr. C. W. Far.
stad, Director of the Plant Pto-
Lection Division.
A counter-attack withsoil
treatments of dieldrin was
mounted and it is hoped that
the enemy has been checked.
However, as the chafer is hard
to keep an eye on, further re-
ports on this aspect are awaited.
* * *
Evidence of the invasion was
found when traps set in the
Niagara Falls area for Japanese
beetles were found to have
caught not only the Japanese
beetles but several specimens of
the European chafer. This insect
is a pest of cereal and grass
crops andhas apparently be-
come established :in United
States territory not too far from
the Canadian border. It' is not
known how the chafer made its
way across the border. It is
thought to have reached the
United States from Europe
about 20 years ago in earth
clumps attached to nurserystock
roots.
4, * *.
Canadian examination of in-
coming vehicles carrying agri-
cultural products is regularly
made to prevent the importation
of insect pests, and fumigation
is often required where there is
ground for suspicion. The Unit-
ed States authorities have
fought the chafer from one out-
break to another and their ef-
forts have assisted in keeping it
out of Canada to date.
* * *
When the insect was found in
July of this year field men of
the Plant Protection Division
tool{ up vigil under trees in the
area to check the severity of the
attack by observing the evening
flights of the chafer. They con -
eluded that the outbreak was
confined to a small area. Twenty
acres of turf adjoining the
Lower Arch Bridge at . Niagara
Falls were treated with 30
pounds of 10 per cent dieldren
granules per acre, in an attempt
to extermination.
* * *
Delimiting areas of infestation
is difficult, Dr. Farstad points
out, in view of the nocturnal
habits of the adults, coupled
with the fact that little, if any.
feeding damage can be observed
on " foliage of trees or shrubs.
Adults emerge in June and July
and make short flights at dusk
from the ground to the nearest
trees, buildings or posts where
they remain for the night- and
mate. At dawn they drop back
to earth and into the soil for
the day, Eggs are laid in the
ground and the larvae feed on
the roots of a wide range of
plants with erne generation a
year. ,
The area in which the chafer
was found will be -kept under
close observation by the Niagara
Fells- staff in 1961 to check on
the effectiveness of the control
measures applied.
* * *
Eradication of weeds by her-
bicides is a long term under-
taking, tests at the Indian Head
Experimental Farm have shown.
E. V. McCurdy, field husban-
dry expert, says treatments with
herbicides for 14 years, applied
annually to two wheat crops
and to summerfallow in a
three-year rotation, have not
greatly "reduced the numbers of
weeds in treated as compared
with untreated' plots.
* *
The treatment of summer -
fallow, he said, was expected
to reduce the number of cul-
tural. operations but proved of
little value because of the
growth of volunteer grain.
An ester and an amine of
2,4-D and an ester of MCP were
applied annually at two rates
— a light rate against suscep-
tible weeds and a heavy 'rate
against those more difficult to
control. Each treated plot was
compared with an untreated
one. r * *
Weed counts taken in 1960 in-
dicate a noticeable reduction in
the number of susceptible an-
nuals, such as stinkweed and
lamb's quarters, and some re-
duction in the number of Rus-
sian thistle, particularly in the
plots where the heavy rate was
used.
The results indicate that dor-
mant weed seeds plus the few
weeds that escape the herbicide
treatments, togther with pee -
sible re -infestations by wind and
implements. a r e sufficient to
keep the potential weed popu-
lotion only a little below that
of untreated plots..
As a test of the cumulative
effect Of the herbicide 'treat-=
meats, part of each summer•-
fallow plot was left unworked
in 1960. Weeds were abundant
on all plots, much more so than
expected after almost 100 per
cent control of susceptible weeds
during the past 14 years,
The . treated plots had fewer
weeds than the untreated ones;
however, it is evident that her-
bicide treatments will have to be
continued for an indefinite
period,
Ancient Persian
Rug Patterns
Carpet -weaving, the craft for
which the Persians are most re-
nowned in the West, has been
practiced in the province of Pars
for at least a thousand years;
en anonymous Persian geogra-
irher of the tenth century men-
tions rugs as one of the stable
industries of that district, What
those ancient carpets were like
we have no means of knowing,
but in a land as conservative as
Persia traditional designs per-
sist unchanged through many
generations and it may well be
that the characteristic "Shiraz"
patterns of the present day ge
back to the dawn of history.
The term "Shiraz" is itself a
misnomer, for whereas Shiraz is
a very important emporium for
the buying and selling of car-
pets, the city itself has no rug
workshops; the wares trafficked
in are produced in the scattered
villages of Fars, and . by the
Qashqai and Khamseh tribesmen
dwelling in their tents to the
northwest and southeast of the
city. The present level of output
has been estimated at some 30,-
000 pieces annually. These rugs,
the largest tribal manufacturers
of their kind, are woven on the
ground -loom and seldom exceed
a width of four feet, for a loom -
beam longer than five' feet is too
heavy and cumbersome to trans-
port.
Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking
a
1
N
V
S
3
a
a
0
VMS
1 N
a
J.
N
N
V
0
d
H
0
3
43
S
3
1
V
A
V
a
3
H
0
3
3
a
0
S
V
a
S
S
N
3
3
S
.1.
N
0
N
1
a
3
-I
D
3
V
W
S
a
3
A
0
0
a
N
3
3
A
C
N
a
3
1
H
3
V
M
3
-I,
4
V
3
.1.
V
3
3
S
3
1
a
V
1
a
3
J.
M
H
d N
SES
0
N
l
V
n a
0 a
0
N
a
V
1INDAY Sq1001
LESSON
ktev, lt. Barclay Warren.
0.D;
The Gospel of the Son of God
John 1;1-14; 20:30-31.
This is the first of fourteen
lessons from the Gospel as re-
corded by John, It was written
later than the Synoptic Gospels
and records chiefly teachings
and deeds of Jesus in Jerusalem.
Matthew and Luke each tell
of the birth of Jesus, showing
clearly that' He was born of the
Virgin Mary. Both Mary and '
Joseph were of the House of
David, John shows that Julia
was God come in the flesh In
fact, the great purpose of the
Gospel is to emphasize the Deity
of Jesus Christ, This is stated
in the following passage, (Jelin
20:31), which is our Memory
Selection, "These are written,
that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing ye might
have life through His name."
Here are some of the evi-
dences that Jesus Christ woos.
Divine, as set forth in our les-
son. In the beginning He was
with God, He created all things.
He was the Light that liglateth
every man that cometh into the
world. His power as Saviour is
vividly expressed in the follow-
ing: "As many as received Him,
to them gave He power to be-
come the sons of God, even to
them that, believe on His name."
"Power to become." That is
what we need. We make good
resolutions but we can't keep
them. "All have sinned and
come short of the glory of God:"
We need a power bigger than
ourselves, Sin shackles us, Here-
in is the Gospel that Jesus will
give us the power we need if
we believe in Him. We are not
saved by our good works ,or our
church membership. We become
the sons of God when We com-
mit ourselves fully to Jesus
Christ and trust Him to save us.
We would do well to read
through the Gospel of John sev-
eral times during this quarter.
Our lives will be greatly en-
riched as we view the ministry
of Jesus through the eyes of
John, the Apostle who was the
closest to Him. John was one
of the three who were with
Jesus on specially sacred occa-
sions. Jesus committed Mary to
John's care while He was on
Ge cross, lie was inspired of
od to write this Gospel. t
Peace(?) On Earth in Latin America
Cuba isn't the only place in Latin America where guns and brickbatts have become the
latest in men's fashion accessories. After tense hours when the fate of the Guatemalan
government was threatened by rebels, loyal troops finally captured or drove into the
hills a group of insurgents. Part of the captured booty included truckloads of rifles,
ammurrtion and other military gear (top photo). Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the liberal
Betancourt regime ',had ' massive Communist inspired riots on its hands. In Caracas, the
capital city, soldiers fired on rioters, driving the mobs ahead of them down a street
near the city university (lower photo).