GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



WHY DO BEES DISLIKE BLACK ? 



Some Interesting Data; Black Objects Stung by 

 Bees because More Visible 



BY JOHN H. LOVELL 



In Gleanings for December 1, 1912, Mr. 

 J. E. Crane says tliat it is the almost uni- 

 versal opinion that bees dislike black. So 

 far as my experience goes (and I have given 

 considerable attention to the matter dar- 

 ing the past few yeai's), this would ajDpear 

 to be undoubtedly the opinion of the major- 

 ity of American beekeepers. Now, why 

 should bees dislike black? They will gath- 

 er honey indefinitely from a piece of black 

 paper or from a black dish. A part of my 

 winter cases are painted black ; but I have 

 never been able to discover that the bees 

 exhibited any antipathy to them on that ac- 

 count. 



On the other hand, let an animal wholly 

 or partially black approach the hives, and 

 (he evidence is most convincing that it will 

 leceive more stings than if it were entirely 

 white. Of a flock of twelve black chickens 

 running in the bee-j'ard, seven black ones 

 were stung to death while the five light ones 

 escaped (Gleanings, March 1, 1911, J. 

 Ridley). A dog with a black rump is badly 

 slung on this part, while the white portion 

 of his body is comparatively free from at- 

 tack (Gleanings, March 1, 1911, H.- C. 

 Driver). As mentioned by Mr. Crane, a 

 white horse may be driven near the apiary 

 with less danger of its being stung than a 

 black one. Another correspondent has told 

 low a white dog ran among the hives with- 

 out attracting much attention, while at the 

 ?ame time a black dog was furiously as- 

 sailed by the bees. 



Many beekeepers report a similar ex- 

 I'erience from wearing black clothing. A 

 white coat does not excite the bees so much 

 rs a black one (Gleanings, Marcli 1, 1912). 

 Dr. Miller gets more stings when he wears a 

 dark suit than when he wears a light one 

 (Gleanings, Dec. 1,1906). Mr. Huber H. 

 Root had a black felt hat " literally deco- 

 rated with stings." On changing to a gray 

 hat he did not get a single sting. The 

 black head of a hat-pin is reiieatedly attack- 

 ed by bees. A pair of black stockings sub- 

 stituted for bee-gloves is literally " peji- 

 pered." The editor of Gleanings has re- 

 lated that, while examining one of the api- 

 aries of Mr. E. D. Townsend, he wore a 

 dark suit and received more stings than Mr. 

 Townsend, Avho was dressed in a white one. 

 Elsewhere he has expressed the wisli to ha\"e 

 the fiuestion discussed further. 



All beekeepers, however, do not agree 



that it is the black color which excites the 

 anger of the bees. One observer suggests 

 that it is a question of education. Editor 

 Root received more sting-s than Mr. Town- 

 send because he was a stranger. The bees 

 would have treated him more kindly if he 

 had given them a little time to get " edu- 

 cated." However this may be in the case 

 of beekeepers, it does not help us any with 

 the black and white dogs, or the black ami 

 wliite chickens. Here l>oth were equally 

 strangers. Another beekeeper thinks that 

 it is not so much the darkness as the rough- 

 ness or hairiness which annoys the bees. To 

 this Dr. Miller replies that he has seen at 

 least a dozen bees viciously jabbing at the 

 smooth glass head of a black hat-pin, fol- 

 lowing it for half a day. 



The Irish Bee Journal, according to Dr. 

 Miller, hinted that had he put on a clean 

 shirt he would have had fewer stings; that 

 is, it was the odor and not the color whicli 

 offended the bees. As would be expected, 

 the doctor replied that the shirt was newly 

 put on, and was void of offense in the par- 

 ticular mentioned. Dr. Miller's photograph, 

 indeed, effectually refutes such an imputa- 

 tion. The above-mentioned editor seems 

 rather to scout the accepted opinion, and 

 says that he has worn a black felt hat and 

 didn't get any sting-s. St. Patrick, so it is 

 authoritatively reported, formerly' drove all 

 the snakes in Ireland into the sea. Possibly 

 the good saint, while he was about it, blunt- 

 ed the stings of their bees a little. How- 

 ever it may be in green Erin, bees in Amer- 

 ica certainly sting black objects, if endowed 

 with life, more freely than they do white. 



Let us consider for a few moments the 

 Ijsychology of colors in an endeavor to as- 

 certain if one color ever irritates more than 

 another. A bright-red garment, as many 

 know from experience, will greatly enrage 

 the turkey-gobbler or a bull. Boys some- 

 times use pieces of red cloth as a lure to 

 catch frogs. Physicians state that children 

 wearing bright-red clothing and people li\ - 

 ing in bright red-rooms are often very nerv- 

 ous and irritable. These symptoms disaj)- 

 pear when another color is substituted. 

 There are persons who can not bear to look 

 at red. The case of an officer is cited who 

 was made giddy by red. 



There is a word for red in every language, 

 but not always one for blue. Savages use 

 red pigments in painting their bodies more 

 than any other hue. Red is claimed to exert 

 more motor power on the eye than blue. 

 Soldiers are no longer di*essed in scarlet. 

 Persons suffering from melancholia are 

 benefited by looking at red ; but insane pa- 

 tients mav be rendered uncontrollable. A 



