GleaniiiKS in Bee Culture 



that their beautiful 

 ashy-gray color is no 

 uglier than the color 

 of other bees. Then 

 they are docile in their 

 temperament, and qui- 

 etly remain on their 

 combs when handled, 

 so that it is a pleasure 

 to work with them. 

 Especially during a 

 honey-flow, when these 

 great big fellows filled 

 with honey drop from 

 the combs with a heavy 

 thud, the apiarist who 

 is at all a student of 

 nature can not keep 

 from admiring them. 



Another good trait 

 is that they build up 

 early in the spring — an 

 important item where 

 the spring flows come 

 early. 



As is well known, 

 they cap their combs 

 rather whiter than 

 some of the other 

 races, and this makes 

 them excellent for joro- 

 ducing fancy comb 

 honey. Their exces- 

 sive swarming has con- 

 demned them, howev- 

 er, in spite of these 

 good qualities; but it 

 seems that, with the 

 proper hive and methods, this objection 

 may be removed, at least to some extent. 

 This would make the Carniolans seemingly 

 a more valuable race than they have here- 

 tofore been reputed to be. 



New Braunfels, Texas. 



HOW AN EXPERT HANDLES A SWARM 



Jacob Alpaugh Caught in the Act 



BY F. DUNDAS TODD 



There is a Scotch saying, "A gaun fit is 

 aye getting', though it be but a broken tae." 

 I am a scion of the tribe of the wandering 

 foot, sometimes getting only a broken toe, 

 but often something I appreciate more high- 

 ly. Last summer, as bee inspector, I wan- 

 dered to the tune of several thousand miles 

 by rail, steamer, motor-boat, buggy, and 

 canoe. Luckily for me I pulled through 

 without breaking even a toe; but instead I 

 got quite a lot of photographs, many of 

 which concerned bees. I had a lot of fun 

 taking them, and I want to pass a few of 

 them along to the readers of their journal. 



One morning I started out with a deflnite 

 day's work planned; and as I jogged along, 

 the idea came into my head that I ought to 

 go and see a beekeeper whom I had former- 

 ly visited. I really had no particular excuse 



Fig. 1.— The swarm in the tree. 



for calling again; but just as soon as the no- 

 tion jumped into my brain I decided I would 

 be foolish for once and follow the whim. 



On arriving at the apiary I found myself 

 greatly rewarded; for just about the time I 

 changed my mind Mr. Jacob Alpaugh, of 

 Ontario, had happened on the scene, so 

 here he was running a little bee convention 

 for the benefit of only three people, and I has- 

 tened to raise the total gathering to four. 

 We were comparing notes on the subject of 

 swarming, when a swarm very opportunely 

 appeared in the air. It was the first bee con- 

 vention I had attended where a practical 

 demonstration could be given just as soon 

 as a subject was under discussion, so I quick- 

 ly suggested that, if Mr. Alpaugh showed 

 us how the beekeepers of Ontario handle a 

 swarm, I would equalize matters by demon- 

 strating how a beekeeper in British Colum- 

 bia could photograph it. The bargain was 

 considered fair and equitable, so I produced 

 my camera, and he asked for a dishjjan, a 

 smoker, and a sheet. Nobody paid any at- 

 tention to me. 



Why did he prefer a dishpan, and what 

 did he want with a smoker? The dishpan, 

 he told us, was to be preferred because it 

 was so smooth that the bees could not cling 

 to it, and so were easily shaken off when 

 they were dumped on the sheet in front of 

 their new home. This was the first time I 

 had ever heard of a dishpan being chosen 



