1901 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



213, 



quautity, it would pay to have an empty 

 super ready to slip them iuto, then they 

 would be compelled to dry in shape. If 

 wood-ashes are not at hand, concentrat- 

 ed lye would doubtless answer every 

 purpose, 1 see no reason why sections 

 thus cleaned would not please the most 

 fastidious bee. 



Bee Stings. — How often it is the case 

 that those most fond of honey refrain 

 from keeping bees through fear. There 

 are occasionally persons met who are so 

 constituted physically that even one bee 

 sting results most seriously. These do 

 well to keep away from them. But 

 where the discomfort is of a transient 

 and local nature, there is in most in- 

 stances no reason why the coveted sweets 

 should not be possessed. True, there 

 are some persons who, through no fault 

 of their own, seem "unlucky" in the 

 vicinity of the apiary; but the misfor- 

 tune is in the majority of cases due to 

 carelessness or nervousness on the 

 part of the victim. 



In working around bees the beginner 

 should always have a veil. The simplest 

 form is one that will fit loosely over a 

 rather broad-brimmed hat, protecting 

 fully the most vulnerable as well as most 

 prominent point of attack — the nose. 

 Let the veil be long enough to tie with a 

 shirred cord secure about the neck. Thus 

 equipped, the head and face are secure. 

 Fasten sleeves at wrist by means of 

 elastic. Some have a cambric sleeve to 

 slip closely over, and this is secured at 

 wrist and top. If one can work with 

 rubber gloves, so much the better; the 

 Guds of the fingers may be cut off, if de- 

 sired. One thus clad should certainly 

 have sufficient control over his nerves to 

 avoid striking and uselessly enraging the 

 bees if one buzzes too near. If he can- 

 not, he might as well quit the business. 

 The quiet, cool-headed apiarist, one who 

 lets them crawl over his hands even if 

 they are mad, is the one who, as a rule, 

 comes out best. If they become too 

 savage to render it wise to submit, quiet- 



ly step among the branches of a neigh- 

 boring tree, if there be one, or drop into 

 the grass. They will soon desist their 

 persecution. By the way, it is the one 

 who stands off a few feet watching the 

 performance who is usually attacked by 

 the guards, and he can certainly slip out 

 by one of these methods. 



One apiarist finds it quite advanta- 

 geous to smear his hands with honey 

 before commencing operations. Though 

 the bees alight for the express purpose 

 of stinging, they often get a taste of the 

 sweets and forgetting, their rage, fall to 

 eating. Of course this does not apply to 

 the attacks that come like bullets; neither 

 is it always convenient in the more deli- 

 cate work to have the hands in a sticky 

 state. 



One of the best safeguards is to avoid 

 hurting the bees. If carelessly handled 

 and crushed in moving the frames, the 

 injured ones or their companions are 

 at once enraged and resort to their sole 

 means of defense. A whiff or two of 

 smoke will drive them to a safe distance 

 and thus save harm. 



A slice of onion applied to a bee sting, 

 renewed every few minutes, as the onion 

 becomes saturated with the poison, will 

 usually afford speedy relief. Ammonia 

 is also a standard remedy; and in ex- 

 treme cases a union of the two is bene- 

 ficial. But never use either until 

 through working, as they serve to make 

 the bees more angry. The old-time cold 

 water compress has been superseded by 

 water as hot as can be borne; and there 

 are on record one or two cases which 

 promised a fatal termination that were 

 quickly mastered by this simple remedy. 

 It is well to remember it if the eye is at- 

 tacked, as this member would not endure 

 the ammonia or onion treatment. 



Harmonsburg, Pa. 



"Every little aid and item, in some way 

 helps." 



Genius is the power to labor better and 

 more availably. — Emerson. 



