4IO ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov., '14 



ers will find it greatly to their advantage to wear white cloth- 

 ing when working among their colonies of bees and manipu- 

 lating the frames of the hives. 



It has been suggested that possibly a white band on a black 

 dress might be attacked in the same manner as a black band 

 on white apparel. To test the matter by experiment I entered 

 the apiary dressed in a black suit with a band of white cloth, 

 six inches wide, around my right sleeve. Three hives were 

 opened in succession, and in each case a throng of angry bees 

 endeavored to sting the black clothing but scarcely noticed the 

 white band. 



It is not the quality of the material which irritates the bees 

 since they will attack a band of black paper, so smooth that 

 they cannot cling to it, as fiercely as a band of black cloth. 

 They have likewise been seen to discriminate against black felt, 

 feathers, hair and glass. 



Experiments were also made with four spectrum colors. 

 When yellow and green bands were successively substituted 

 for black, the bees paid absolutely no more attention to these 

 colors than if they had been white. A blue band irritated the 

 bees a little more than white, but very much less than black. 

 There were never more than four or five attempting to sting 

 this color at the same moment. A red cloth band, on the con- 

 trary, was attacked almost as fiercely as black, although less 

 persistently. Throughout all the experiments with the various 

 colors the white suit and veil attracted the notice of the bees 

 only to a very small extent. 



I have no theory to offer in the present paper in explanation 

 of the behavior of the bees toward black and white and the 

 spectrum colors, but should be pleased to have an expression of 

 opinion from the readers of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. I would 

 premise, however, that black per se does not appear to irritate 

 the bees, since they do not attack a black garment thrown over 

 a hive, or suspended from a pole in the apiary. They only 

 discriminate against black when it is worn by an animal or 

 human being which appears to threaten the safety of the 

 colony. 



