SECRETARY'S REPORT. 315 



while the string will close the lower end around the chest, thus 

 making it impossible for a bee to insert a bill. The whole, labor 

 and all, will cost about fifty cents. This is lighter, more con- 

 venient to carry, and equally effective with the gauze wire 

 protectors which many recommend. A common pair of leather 

 gloves would complete the armament, though. Mr. Bradley 

 handles them " without gloves." 



In going about to examine into the condition of his hives, Mr. 

 Bradley uses a dry piece of rotten hard wood, such as is usually 

 called punk. Punk burns slowly and readily, without a blaze, 

 but with smoke enough to fumigate a ship. With this little 

 piece in hand, he blows a little smoke into the hive through the 

 entrance. This should always be done in warm weather before 

 raising the top of the hive to look under, or to examine for 

 moths. It has the effect to frighten the inmates, or at any rate, 

 to astonish them so much as to throw them off their guard, so 

 that he can handle or do anything with them with perfect safety, 

 by being gentle and careful. This mode of smoking is always 

 used also in removing the honey boxes, or surplus honey from 

 the top of the hives, — the "supers'" as they call them. Raise 

 the supers just enough to blow the smoke under, when these 

 boxes may be removed without in the least enraging the busy 

 bees. On all occasions, in fact, says Mr. Bradley, in your opera- 

 tions with your bees, use this smoke. It is perfectly harmless. 

 A single good smart "blowing" upon the lighted punk is quite 

 sufficient to prevent all nervousness on the part of the insects, 

 and it is astonishing to see with what perfect freedom the bees 

 could be handled, and with what affectionate docility they 

 climbed and crawled in great numbers over the master's hands. 



Mr. Bradley considers the Italian bees superior to our common 

 black bees in several particulars. He has kept them four years, 

 and now has thirty or forty swarms. 



In the first place, he says, they are more industrious. As 

 showing and proving this beyond question, he states that in the 

 spring of 18G3, he carried nine swarms of common bees, all strong 

 and healthy, and one small swarm of Italian bees, about twelve 

 miles from his own apiary. It proved a very unfavorable honey 

 season in that loctition during the whole summer. The result 

 was, that the nine swarms of common bees made seven " supers " 

 of honey, and cast only seven young swarms. The swarm of 



