GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



ENEEAL COEMESPONDENCE 



BY EDWAED P. BIGELOW 



For several years I have been making 

 demonstrations in vax"ious parts of the 

 country in the handling of bees without 

 needing gloves, smoke, or other protective 

 device. I have at last achieved the climax 

 in such demonstrations. I do not know what 

 more can be done. I regret that I have no 

 photograph to show the demonstration. I 

 would have engaged a photographer if I 

 had known that it was going to be so re- 

 markable. 



In the early part of Sej^tember I was 

 instructor at the teachers' institute in Tell 

 City, Indiana. In the course of my work I 

 lectwed on honeybees, and obtained a colo- 

 ny that a local beekeeper placed on the 

 grounds near the schoolhouse. This was a 

 fairly strong colony, though it had not been 

 in the hive very long, having been taken as 

 a swarm only three weeks previously. I 

 made the usual demonstration after massing 

 the teachers around the hive, opening it and 

 requesting a few to hold frames and to 

 study the movements of the bees. This was 

 done in the forenoon. At noon intermission 

 a few teachers requested me to repeat it, 

 and to show them the frames, bees, eggs, 

 and larvae. I told them that the colony was 

 gentle, and (with care) could be safely han- 

 dled. But some who had known bees at 

 home said that I had hyi:)notized those bees, 

 or done something else to tliem, because I 

 had shown a few of the teachers how to 

 take them in their bare hands. They said 

 that no one else could do that. 



In the afternoon a large number of 

 visitors were present at the regular session, 

 and at the recess the same question was 

 brought up, the teachers and the visitors 

 requesting information about my method of 

 hypnotizing those bees. What was the 

 secret? I made this announcement : " After 

 our regular afternoon session I will make 

 the most remarkable demonstration ever 

 made in this country. I will act by proxy, 

 so that you cannot say that I do any thing 

 to the bees, or that I have any peculiar 

 influence over them." From the visitors 

 present I selected a small boy and a girl, 

 neither of whom had had any experience 

 with honeybees. I selected four tall young 

 men, and requested them to remove their 

 coats and roll the shirtsleeves to their shoul- 

 ders. I asked for eight volunteers from 

 among the young ladies who had low-necked 



dresses and bare arms. The ladies were 

 requested to push their sleeves to their 

 shoulders. I directed the entire company to 

 go on the campus and arrange themselves 

 in a circle around the hive. I should say 

 that there were 350 people present. I stood 

 back in the crowd and had the eight women 

 arranged in a row near the hive and the four 

 young men in front of them. I sent the 

 little boy and the little girl to the hive to 

 remove the cover and pass the frames to the 

 young men, who were to search for the 

 queen and to give that frame to me. I 

 returned it to the hive. The other nine 

 frames were divided among the four young 

 men, most of them holding two, one holding 

 three. They held these frames above the 

 young ladies' heads, and at a signal of one, 

 two, three, they shook the entire contents of 

 that hive over the eight young ladies. I 

 confess that my heart was in my mouth 

 when I gave that signal. I thought at the 

 very best that there was no great thing to 

 be gained, and there would be a lot to lose 

 if those young women were stung. I thought 

 I should probably be carried home in the 

 ambulance after the mob got done with me. 

 But to my surprise, as well as to that of the 

 spectators, although those young women 

 were covered with honeybees, not one was 

 stung. The air was black with flying bees. 

 At first it- seemed as if the entire colony 

 would go off. The owner became alarmed, 

 but I could assure him because I had the 

 queen. I was confident that the bees would 

 return to the hive. Bees covered the ground 

 and the j^eojDle. Gradually', however, they 

 began to center toAvard the entrance of the 

 hive, and the entire hive was coated with 

 bees. The people took them up by the 

 handfuls and did almost every thing con- 

 ceivable with them. 



I know of nothing left for me to do that 

 is more daring and courageous than that, 

 and of nothing to demonstrate more con- 

 vincingly that bees, if properly handled, are 

 not disposed to sting. If you know of any 

 one else who has dared to shake eighty 

 thousand honeybees over bare necks and 

 bare arms until they look as if they have 

 been peppered, I should like to know who 

 did it. If you know of any " stunt," as the 

 boys would say, that could excel that as a 

 public demonstration, please tell me what it 

 is, and I may at some time raise enough 



