410 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 1 



ones were preferred first. Of all this, the 

 only possible conclusion is that bees have 

 no preference whatever for color in hives, at 

 least, and are more guided by odor than 

 by color of flowers. 



Our experience shows us that light-color- 

 ed hives absorb less heat than dark ones; 

 and they radiate less; but does the bee know 

 this? Most likely it does not; and when a 

 place to lodge the swarm in seems conven- 

 ient to the scouts before the arrival of the 

 swarm they adopt it without reflecting on 

 the outward color. Runaway swarms some- 

 times build their comb in the open air along 

 the branch of a tree or against a rock; but 

 more often they choose the hollow stems of 

 olive-trees, dark and warm though they be. 



Notwithstanding all I have said, bees do 

 notice dark colors much more than light 

 ones. Perhaps light colors are impercei)ti- 

 ble to insect eyes. I can not explain the 

 reason, but I can point to the fact that light 

 colors do not attract their attention, while 

 black colors or even dark ones fairly 

 irritate them. As a rule, when at work in 

 the apiary I wear a white helmet as used in 

 Asia and Africa, and rarely do the bees fly 

 at the hat; but sometimes I go among the 

 bees with a black felt hat; and when they 

 are uncovered they will attack the brim at 

 once, sometimes in great numbers. I rare- 

 ly put on a veil here in Europe; and the 

 veil, if used, is white, for the same purpose 

 as for the hat. If in full work I would pull 

 off the white head; the bees will attack my 

 hairy head; and i)erhaps should a bald- 

 headed man try, under the same circum- 

 stances, he would be sting-proof, just as 

 when I pull up my sleeves to the elbows 

 when working, yet never receive a sting on 

 the arms. Everybody knows how angry 

 bees become when a dog or a horse comes 

 near the hives. It is not only the disagree- 

 able smell, but the hairy business they dis- 

 like. 



"\Mien we first begin work in the apiary, 

 and irritate the bees in some way or other, 

 they will be furious for some time, and then 

 calm down again; but they will often at- 

 tack, without any visible reason. This re- 

 fers to our Eurojjean races. With the orien- 

 tal races it is often the reverse. They will 

 be quite calm to begin with, and stand hu- 

 man interference for some time without 

 showing their bad humor; but when once 

 iheir patience is exhausted, nothing will 

 calm their anger; and if you have to con- 

 tinue work it is best to put on a very tight 

 veil and even gloves: for in their vindictive- 

 ness they will find any loose ])art and pene- 

 trate toward the more perceptible parts of 

 your person, In the East, when work press- 

 ed hard and we could not afTord to do slow 

 work and thus avoid irritating them, we had 

 white working clothes, veils, and gloves; 

 but now, when the gloves become soiled the 

 bees will attack the dark parts, but will 

 leave off the attack when these parts are 

 whitened by chalk or any other whitening 

 product. Clearly enough, the dark color ir- 

 ritates them, more especially when excited; 



and they seem to ignore white, wherever it 

 may be. Again, I have often known them 

 to attack my eyes rather than any other ex- 

 posed part of my face, simjjly because these 

 are the dark corners in the human face. 

 This is what I think of color and odor and 

 their effect on bees. 

 Nice, France, Jan. 7, 1910. 



ADVERTISING HONEY IN GROCERY PA- 

 PERS. 



BY F. J. BOOT. 



For several years the writer has had more 

 or less correspondence with bee-keepers as 

 to the advantages which might eventually 

 accrue to the industry if a systematic, liber- 

 al — yet judicious — use were made of printers' 

 ink for a few seasons. No sensible man de- 

 nies the value of advertising pe/- se; but the 

 trouble is to get the bee-keepers beyond the 

 taIking-x)oint. Advertising costs money. 

 This is an elementary statement; and when 

 it comes to raising the "cold, clammy cash " 

 the fraternity has been backward about 

 coming forward. 



But think what might easily be accom- 

 plished — if I may be pardoned for switching 

 off a moment from my main topic — if a very 

 small fraction of one cent per pound were as- 

 sessed and actually paid into an advertising 

 fund. I am informed that probably 

 60,000,000 pounds of honey are raised every 

 year in the United States. This is ;^0,000 

 tons; and one dollar per ton would give you 

 a mighty good foundation, but it is only 

 about half large enough. 



Do not imagine that I am asserting this 

 sum to be necessary for a campaign in the 

 grocery papers. At the beginning I want 

 to be plainly understood as not maintaining 

 that advertising in the grocery papers alone 

 will create any increase in the general con- 

 sumption of honey, which is to be the great 

 object of all our proposed advertising. The 

 grocery-paper advertising must be subsidi- 

 ary to advertising in the big magazines 

 which reach millions of housewives; and I 

 wish to emphasize the words must be. The 

 advertising in the magazines is absolutely 

 essential; and with such backing you can 

 spend a little ])art of your fund to excellent 

 advantage with the grocery papers. 



Run over in your nainds the retail grocers 

 with whom you are personally acquainted. 

 What sort of men are they? 'What sort of 

 grocer would ^OM be? If you read the gro- 

 cery papers, what sort of advertisement 

 would cau.se you to " stop, look, listen"? The 

 average retailer is a pretty good sort of chap. 

 He likes to be well thought of — being human 

 — and he likes to have a reputation for sell- 

 ing good goods at a reasonable profit. 



In urging the dealer to make a little extra 

 efTort with honey, and using the grocery pa- 

 l)ers as a tool to work with, you want to lell 

 him that you are making a big campaign in 

 advertising honey to the consumer through 

 the media of the big magazines; that this is. 



