Sept. 15, 1911 



gather honey-dew, and that the mongrel 

 bee that we call black varies in this respect. 

 To know any thing of the actual black bee 

 I am some fifty years too late. It has ceas- 

 ed to exist over here. 



I think the evidence adduced is sufficient 

 to justify enquiry. If any facts are known 

 which tell heavily against my statement I 

 shall be glad to alter my views. 



BEES AND BLACK CLOTHING. 



Many of the instances given to illustrate 

 the tolerance or the dislike that bees show 

 for black clothing merely illustrate the fact 

 that bees do not molest a familiar object, 

 and do resent the intrusion of an unfamiliar 

 one. An old farm laborer from whom I 

 purchased a stock of bees told me that he 

 was quite safe in his working clothes; but 

 when he donned a black coat on Sunday 

 the bees invariably attacked him when he 

 passed the hives. I think the bees would 

 have tolerated the black coat if he had worn 

 it all the week. 



There are facts which, however, will not 

 admit of this explanation. My white cats 

 go fearlessly among the hives, and are not 

 molested. Colored cats are not tolerated, 

 and pet scared away for good while they are 

 kittens. The editor mentioned the case of 

 the two dogs coming into an apiary. The 

 white dog was not interfered with, but the 

 black one was attacked. Then, again, a 

 correspondent gives the case of a dog that 

 was stung on the black spots while the white 

 parts escaped. T have a theory on the sub- 

 ject which might prove of interest. 



On the north side of my extracting-room 

 I have about thirty square feet of ground 

 glass. On the south side, and shaded by 

 a veranda, is about fifty square feet of 

 clear glass. If I bring any bees into this 

 room, the chances are that they try to fly 

 out through the ground glass, and until 

 these windows are darkened they will not 

 fiy to the clear glass tloors (which can be 

 opened) on the other side. I have also ob- 

 served bees trying to fly through a brightly 

 illuminated w'hite surface, such as a i)ainted 

 door. I conclude, therefore, that the vision 

 of the bee does not sharply distinguish be- 

 tween white and trans})arent objects. It 

 follows that a white object moving in the 

 apiary would be inconspicuous. A black 

 object or black spots on a dog, although at 

 a distance which rendered them "fuzzy," 

 would yet remain noticeable, especially 

 when moving. 



I have noticed thata white hive on a high 

 stand is a difficult matter for the bees to lo- 

 cate, and a dash of color near the entrance 

 materially assists them. Travel-stains an- 

 swer the same purpose in time if no help is 

 given. 



It might be argued that bees can see white 

 flowers. The majority of white flowers are 

 night flowers, and are fertilized by moths. 

 Although white flowers are visited by the 

 bee, there is still a possibility that the odor 

 directs the bee to a great extent, and that 

 the dark background of the flower is what 

 is actually visible. If bees can associate 



557 



honey with a freight. car (article on "Rob- 

 bing " in A B C and X Y Z of Bee Culture) 

 they can probably associate its presence 

 with a floral odor and holes in a green car- 

 pet. 

 Albury, England. 



PROOF THAT THE ODOR OF BEE-STING POI- 

 SON EXCITES BEES. 



BY O. B. METCALFE. 



In Gleanings, p. 418, July 15, Dr. Miller 

 and the editor both discuss the tradition 

 that mashing a bee will make other bees: 

 angry. Dr. MiHer has yet to see any proof 

 of it. and the editor agrees with him provid- 

 ed the bee is so quickly crushed or para- 

 lyzed that it has no time to squeal. 



Well, doctor, get a little stick, go out into 

 the bee-yard, and very carefully shove the 

 end of it among the bees at the entrance of 

 some hive. Do this so gently that you can 

 push the bees about without their showing 

 any sign of resentment; then slip away 

 just as carefully and take the stick to an- 

 other hive. At this hive catch several bees 

 and malve them sting your felt hat where 

 they will leave their stings. Remove these 

 stings instantly, while the poison-sacs are 

 still full, and press the poison out on the 

 end of the stick. Now go back to the en- 

 trance of the first hive, and, as gently as 

 before, slip the end of the stick among the 

 bees, and you will have proof that bees will 

 resent the crushing of a bee provided the 

 poison gives out the smell. A tremor of 

 excitement will spread among the whole 

 guard, and a number of them will jump on 

 the stick which they had slightly avoided 

 before. I knew this before; but I took a 

 witness and went out and tried it for fear 

 the doctor might in some way get me down 

 as he did in the matter of how a queen 

 makes a chirping sound. That was, how- 

 ever, a point of little practical value so far 

 as I know; while the one now under discus- 

 sion is one of no small imjjortance, and one 

 that every bee-keeper should know. 



The following are some of the ways my 

 understanding of this point has been of 

 value to me in the past. When I go to a 

 yard, if there is any work to be done with 

 queens there as well as w^ith the honey, I 

 always do the queen work first, to avoid "the 

 use of a veil. This is a point I once cared 

 little about; but I observed that the long 

 use of a veil was injuring my eyes, so now 

 I do not wear one except when I must; and 

 after I have worked fast with the honey for 

 a few minutes, and gotten hat, clothes, and 

 hands fairly stinking with the odor of bee- 

 sting poison, I could never work any thing; 

 stronger than a weak nucleus without a 

 veil. 



Again, if I expect the bees to fight badly 

 some cloudy day when I must work them„ 

 I take more time at some things, and even 

 skip a hive of well-known reputation to. 

 avoid getting into a fight that will last un- 

 til I finish the work. Another point that 



