6 BEE-KEEPING, A FASCINATING PURSXHT 



cautious about over-confidence until he has become familiar with 

 the habits of the insects and the methods of control. 



There are some who cannot overcome a nervous fear of the 

 bees, and consequently can never handle them suceessfullv. The 

 first essential in controlling bees is to be able to control one's 

 self. When a bee comes buzzing about, the chances are ninety- 

 nine in a hundred that she will make no trouble unless the person 

 under observation starts it. How often people get stung by 

 starting a fuss with a perfectly friendly bee, when if they would 

 only keep quiet there would be no trouble. One can very soon 

 come to recognize the difference between the hum of a friendly 

 bee and the angry buzz of one on the warpath. The experiment 

 has been tried of keeping perfectly still when pursued by angry 

 ones. Often they alight on the operator with apparent surprise 

 that he is not kicking up a fuss, and, after a moment or two of 

 hesitation, fly away wnthout drawing their daggers. This plan 

 is not always successful, though there is less danger of getting 

 stung when quiet than when frantically kicking and striking 

 in every direction. Where a colony is on the w^arpath, the best 

 plan is to keep away until they have become quiet, for it is very 

 diflicult to control bees after they have become fully aroused. 



Fifty or a hundred friendly bees crawling over a seasoned 

 bee-keeper cause him not the slightest uneasiness, but on the other 

 hand, he is likely rather to enjoy the sensation. One who is 

 not accustomed to handling them should always take the pre- 

 caution to protect himself fully with veil and gloves, until he 

 becomes so familiar with them as to be able to overcome his 

 nervousness -when they alight on the face or hands. 



Some Causes of Trouble. — There are several things that have 

 a tendency to cause trouble between the operator and his bees. 

 They are much more inclined to be cross w^hen the atmosphere 

 is heavy before a storm, and sometimes after. They show a 

 tendency to be more hostile toward one dressed in dark colored 

 clothing than in light garments. One should take care to never 

 go about the bees with the odor of the stable clinging to his gar- 



