1897. 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



361 



ought not exceed a tea cu|) full. 

 Naturally the remaining ones will be 

 physically stronuer and better able to 

 serve as nurses and honty j^aih rirs; 

 so that the iirst season ought lopvy 

 something toward the exti'a exj)ei)seof 

 wintering. 



In furlher considering the prepara- 

 tion for wintering, the matter of food 

 should also receive special attention. 

 This part of our subject, however, I 

 discussed at some lenglii in the Sept^ 

 issue, and it fully covers all that is 

 requsite to that end. 



Jackson, Mich. 



I From Farmers Bulletin, No.o9 ) 



HOW TO AVOID STINGS. 



BY FRANK BENTON. 



First, by having gentle bees. If 

 no other point of superiority over the 

 common brown, or black, bee than 

 that of gentleness could be fairly 

 claimed for some of the race intro- 

 duced, and some of the stains devel- 

 oped in recent years, it would still be 

 worth while to get them on this ac- 

 count alone. When the fact of su- 

 periority in several other important 

 points is considered also, there should 

 be no further questions as to the ad- 

 visability of procuring them in pref- 

 erence to the common variety. 1'he 

 beginner is advised never to think of 

 doing otherwise. No one likes stings, 

 and even veterans who effect insensi- 

 bility to the wrath of his charges will 

 find his interest and pleasure in them 

 much increased by replacing blacks 

 and their crosses with better varieties. 

 Nor is this merely to gratify a fancy 

 or for convenience alone. If an ex- 

 amination for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the condition of a colony of 



bees becomes to the one who cares for 

 the apiary a disagreeable task by 

 n^ason of the stinging qualities of the 

 bt-es kept, little things necessary to 

 the welfare of the colonies will be 

 postponed or oniitted altogether and 

 the apiary will soon present a neglect- 

 ed appearance, and the actual profit 

 will be affected. As a race, Caruio- 

 lans are the greatest; some strains of 

 Italians equal in this respect average 

 Carniolans, but the race native to 

 Italy is by no means as gentle as that 

 found in Carniola. The beginner 

 need not hesitate, however; to under- 

 take to manipulate pure Italians. 



Crossing wellestabii.shed breeds 

 produce bees which vary greatly in 

 temper, especially in the first few gen- 

 erations. Only careful selection con- 

 tinued for some time will so fix the 

 desirable traits as to result in their re- 

 production with a fair degree of cer- 

 tauity in the offspring. Bees having 

 the blood of blacks and Italians are 

 nearly always quite vicious in the case 

 of the first cross, and are even harder 

 to subdue with smoke thau are pure 

 blacks. Other races need not be con- 

 sidered here as they are adapted to 

 special purposes, and the skill of the 

 beemaster, the condition of climate, 

 flora, etc., and the particular line of 

 production to be followed, should de- 

 cide whether their introduction is ad- 

 visable or not. 



The second essential to enable one 

 to avoid stings is to have a good 

 smoker at hand whenever the bees are 

 to be handled. Any way of getting 

 smoke of any kind into the hive and 

 about it may answer the purpose, but 

 for ease and effectiveness in keeping 

 bees under control nothing will take 

 the place of a modern bellov/s smoker. 



