OCTOBER 1, 1913 



689 



they were constantly coming so long' as my 

 bands remained in the super and disturbed 

 them. An individual bee would not remain 

 long upon the black band, but would soon 

 fly against my veil, or circle about my head. 

 So far as I could observe not a single bee 

 attempted to sting the left white sleeve, and 

 veiy few even alighted upon it. 1 closed the 

 experience by walking away from the hive. 

 This exj^eriment was repeated a second 

 and a tliird time. During the second exper- 

 iment 1 estimated the luimber of bees on the 

 black band at a certain moment about thir- 

 ty (1 intentionally make the estimate small- 

 er than 1 believe it to have actually been), 

 while the left sleeve was almost wholly un- 

 noticed. As in the previous experiment, the 

 bees soon flew from the black band to the 

 black veil, or circled about my head. So 

 tierce was the attack that I found it advis- 

 able to withdraw to some distance. My 

 third experiment yielded similar results to 

 the two already described. 1 can not imag- 

 ine how certain of the bees could have made 

 greater efforts to sting the black band than 

 they did. They seemed fairly beside them- 

 selves. To that part of my dress which was 

 white the bees gave very little attention. 



I now deemed it advisable to have a wit- 

 ness. A friend was summoned, and provid- 

 ed with a black veil and a pair of white 

 gloves. She was stationed less than ten 

 feet away, directly facing me, so that the 

 behavior of the bees could easily be ob- 

 served, and individual bees be plainly seen 

 in the bright sunlight. Removing the cover 

 I plunged both hands simultaneously into 

 the super, which was overflowing with bees. 

 What hap})ened I will describe briefly in 

 the words of my friend: 



"A great many bees immediately flew to 

 the black band on your right arm, although 

 by no means all of the bees which left the 

 super. I should estimate that there were 

 at one time as many as forty on the black 

 cloth. They were continually coming from 

 the super to the black band, but they did 

 not remain long upon it. I did not see a 

 single bee upon your left sleeve, which was 

 wholly white. There Avere hundreds of bees 

 flying about your head or on your veil." 



On August 12 I continued my experi- 

 ments. The morning was calm and clear, 

 and the temperature 76 degrees F. With 

 the exception of a black veil I was dressed 

 all in white; but on this occasion the band 

 of black cloth, 10 inches wide, was sewed 

 about my left arm instead of around the 

 right sleeve as in the previous experiments. 

 At 10 A.M., facing the east as before, I 

 lifted the cover from the same hive as in the 

 expeiiments of August 7. As soon as a 

 piece of honeycomb was shaken with both 



hands a large number of bees flew furiously 

 at the black band and endeavored to sting 

 it. Only two or three bees were seen on the 

 white sleeve of my right arm, and they did 

 not attempt to sting. Both from the "black 

 Ijiece of cloth and fr tm the open super a 

 great number of bees flew against the black 

 veil. I then withdrew to a distance. 



A little later 1 again approached the 

 hive; and as soon as the combs were shaken 

 a cloud of bees flew fiercely at me. At one 

 time a part of the l)lack band was almost 

 literally covered with furiously stinging- 

 bees, and the black veil was assailed by 

 hundreds. Tlie right sleeve, wholly in Avhite, 

 and the other iiortions of my dress in white, 

 received very little attention. As I walked 

 away the bees followed me for a long dis- 

 tance. A third experiment yielded similar 

 results. 



I next opened another hive on the oppo- 

 site side of my apiary. When I began 

 thumping on the frames the bees at once 

 attacked the black band and tlie black veil ; 

 but the right slee\e and the other white por- 

 tions of my dress received little attention. 

 I now left the apiary and substituted for 

 the black veil a new white veil which I had 

 procured for this j^urpose. On my return 

 the bees, as previously, sought to sting the 

 black band; but the white veil was less at- 

 tacked than the l)lack. The difference was 

 most astonishing. Whereas hundreds had 

 before sought to i)enetrate the black veil, 

 the number now was so small as to cause me 

 no inconvenience. Those which did attack 

 seemed much less persistent. 



A third hive was opened. The black band 

 on my left arm was furiously attacked as in 

 all the previous exjieriments of August 12; 

 but the white veil enjoyed much greater im- 

 munity from the attack than the black. So 

 great was the difference that I propose 

 hereafter when working among my bees to 

 wear a white veil. 



As a result of these experiments I have 

 no hesitation in saying that beekeepeis 

 should always, when at work in the apiary, 

 dress in white. The white veil Avhich I used 

 was made of mosquito-netting; and while I 

 could not see through it as easily as through 

 the black when looking at objects at a dis- 

 tance, there was little difference when 1 

 looked directly downward at the hive or the 

 ground. Very likely some other material 

 would give better results in this respect. 



The results obtained in this series of ex- 

 periments are most interesting and note- 

 worthj'. It is the first instance, so far as is 

 known to me, where it has been shown con- 

 clusively by means of experiments perform- 

 ed directly for that purpose that angry bees 

 discriminate against black. Strong colonies 



