JULY 15, 1912 



447 



18 of whieli were two-story and 23 one-sto- 

 ly. On this occasion I went to the apiarj^ 

 tiiat I intended to move, at 8:45 a.m., 

 lighted the smoker, and put in about two 

 tablespoonfuls of tobacco dust and elip- 

 Ijings, the rest of the smoker being full of 

 l^artly rotted sacks. Then I went to each 

 hive and puffed in two or thi-ee good strong- 

 blasts of tliis smoke at the entrance. I went 

 around the apiar^' twice; and then, the auto 

 having arrived, we started to load. The 

 chauffeur was to help load; but he was 

 afraid to go into the apiary on account of a 

 few field bees in the air that were not in the 

 hives when they were smoked, but Ave were 

 safely loaded at last. 



After we were started we moved down to 

 Beach Street, where we were expecting a 

 photographer. While waiting for him to 

 arrive 1 opened a few hives and lifted out 

 a comb or two to show several interested 

 observers that all those ''boxes" were pack- 

 ed full of bees that densely covered each 

 comb, and yet they were not stupefied, as 

 shown by the fact that they fiew readily 

 when brushed off with tlie lingers. 



After the picture was taken we went on 

 across the bridge, over the river, and up to 

 Sea Breeze: unloaded the 41 colonies, and 

 were back home within thi'ee hours. Be- 

 fore the last of the hives were lifted down 

 from the truck the bees had caught the 

 odor of the sweet bay blossoms all around 

 them, and were commencing to flv verv 



bi'iskl5\ I had to use smoke on those in the 

 auto to keep them in, for those already un- 

 loaded were fairly tumbling out of the hives 

 and relocating themselves. The strange 

 thing about it all was that they were not 

 cross, even though they had sniffed tobacco 

 instead of the perfume of the blossoms. 



I use no tobacco in the smoker for or- 

 dinary work in the apiary; and as a word 

 of caution I should like to say it is a mis- 

 take to use nothing but tobacco in a smok- 

 er, or to blow the smoke into one hive for 

 several minutes, for this makes the bees 

 sick, so that they are in as bad shape as if 

 they had been fastened in and overheated. 



Daj'tona, Fla. 



[With an experienced operator in charge, 

 who is really an exjDert along this line, like 

 our correspondent, and with hives that can 

 not be conveuienth' and securely screened, 

 we should undoubtedly advise the plan rec- 

 ommended. Perhaps we should go further 

 and advise the use of the tobacco method of 

 control generally; but if the hives are 

 sound, so that thej' can be cjuicklj" and 

 cheaply screened, and if the beekejoer has 

 not had considerable experience, we should 

 feel safer if the bees could not get out. If 

 a three-inch rim is tacked on above the 

 brood-chamber, and water cari-ied along 

 with which to cool the bees of any hive that 

 show signs of becoming overheated, there is 

 usually very little danger of trouble or ex- 

 cessive loss. — Ed.] 



^lo. 



I. .J^Jll^ X by the fence Las produced un the average 

 worth of honey each year. 



