April. 1921 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



205 



are more easily found in average colonies 

 than in those which are below average 

 strength. No doubt, she is more easily fright- 

 ened into hiding where there are not so 

 many bees. 



Colonies are the most gentle of the whole 

 season during the fine days of spring. doul)t 

 less because of the larger percentage of 

 young bees. As the season advances they 

 seem to grow more sophisticated, lose faith 

 in man, and resist more vigorously from 

 week to week his interference in their af- 

 fairs. Colonies may be made bad-tempered 

 by teasing or bad management; and, con- 

 versely, it would seem as tho a whole apiary 

 grows bctter-natured by having frequent 

 visits from people who know liow to avoid 

 irritating them. I have in mind a case where 

 one lot of hives was divided in spring be- 

 tween two locations. One was without shade, 

 near a dwelling, where the lady of the house 

 who loved bees often sat among the hives 

 to do some mending or similar work. The 

 bees remained gentle all thru the season. 

 The other was in an old orchard far from 

 any occupied house. Cattle were pastured in 

 the same field and no doubt disturbed the 

 even temper of the colonies considerably. No 

 one went near the hives except the bee- 

 keeper and his helpers, who gave each yard 

 the same weekly attention. These bees be- 

 came more and more cantankerous as the 

 season advanced. This shows how the tem- 

 per of bees may be developed in opposite 

 directions by different environments, altho 

 they are originally the same stock and re- 

 ceive the same care and attention from the 

 beekeeper. 



During a good honey flow colonies are 

 usually most gentle and easily handled. As 

 the flow cuts off they become cross. What 

 makes the difference? Is it the robber bees 

 which come picking arovmd the entiances 

 and keeping the guards constantly alert? 

 The fact that the presence of Numerous 

 openings in old hives, which give robbers a 

 better chance, makes the bees mvich 

 crosser even tho no robbing actually occurs, 

 would bear out this idea. No doubt the pres- 

 ence of fresh nectar in everybody's honey 

 sac makes all hands good-natured; and con- 

 versely, the empty stomachs and the daily 

 search for honey which is unrewarded set 

 the colony nerves on edge. "Whatever be the 

 explanation which some scientist will no 

 doubt give us in due course, we all know 

 that everything runs more smoothly in the 

 apiary during a good flow. 



Applications in Practice. 



Now what has all this to do witli )iractical 

 beekeeping? No doubt all coinmercial bee- 

 keepers have quit reading before this, so T 

 will address the amateurs and beginners 

 who may still be in the audience. The con- 

 trol of a colony of bees may be compared 

 to the control of a nervous horse. The 

 smoker represents whiji and lines. One is 

 needed as much as the other. With long 

 practice it may be possible to drive a' horse 



without lines, but it is not practical any 

 more than to handle colonies without a good 

 smoker. The latter must be ready to give a 

 good full cloud of white cool smoke at all 

 times. A good horseman lets his horse feel 

 whip and bit just enough to kuow it has a 

 master, and no more. He uses his control 

 (whip and lines) just as much as the mood 

 and disposition of the horse require, and no 

 more. Directions are sometimes given like 

 the following: "To open a hive blow smoke 

 in the entrance, then raise the cover and 

 drive some smoke in between the frames. ' ' 

 This advice is given without any regard to 

 the needs of the particular case. Did you 

 ever hear a novice driver advised as fol- 

 lows: "On taking your seat in the carriage 

 give the horse three vigorous jerks on the 

 bit and cut him sharply around the body 

 twice with the whip. ' ' Some horses might 

 require such treatment on some occasions, 

 but to make a rule of treating all horses 

 in this way would be inconvenient at times. 

 Bees are quite as nervous as any horse ever 

 was, and will respond to gentle or rough 

 treatment just as readily. It is necessary 

 to keep the colony completely under contiol 

 from the time the cover is removed until it 

 is replaced. The amount of smoke requirecl to 

 do this will depend on all the conditions 

 which have been very roughly outlined 

 above — and several more. What smoke is 

 used should reach the guards as a cool cloud, 

 not as a blast. Smoke blown upon bees will 

 excite them, when the same quantity of 

 smoke reaching them without perceptible 

 current or blast causes them to forget their 

 resentment and go quietly about their busi- 

 ness. 



Smoking at the Entrance. 

 When conditions are favorable for good- 

 tempered bees we seldom smoke the entrance 

 at all. It disarms the entrance guards, in- 

 creasing the danger of robbing, and excites 

 the bees needlessly. If the queen is to be 

 found, one might almost as well close up and 

 go on to the next hive after smoking the 

 entrance. She is very easily frightened into 

 hiding, which inakes it almost impossible to 

 find her. If the frames are covered with a 

 cloth they can be uncovered almost without 

 jar, which is ^ne great advantage of the 

 cloth. At first, only a few bees nearest the 

 light become guards and advance to the 

 defense. A gentle cloud of dense smoke over 

 the top-bars sends them back. Combs may 

 then be removed and examined in 1urn. Per- 

 haps every minute, or oftener depending on 

 conditions, some guards lift' their wings in 

 an alert manner and require the gentle yet 

 dense cloud of smoke to envelop tliem and 

 cause them to subside. It takes exnerieiicc 

 and close watching to know just when tlie 

 smoke should be used. If used too often all 

 the bees become excited and run about, the 

 queen cannot be found, and no work in that 

 hive can be done with comfort. If left too 

 long the guards dart at the operator, sting 

 him, and he may lose his nerve and beat a 



