MANIPULATION OF COMBS. 



33 



cult to avoid stings on the hands unless considerable smoke has been 

 driven into the entrance beforehand and 

 time has been given the bees to get well 

 filled with honey before the hive is 

 opened 5 even then frequent recourse to 

 smoke will generally be necessary. 

 Blacks are by far the most troublesome 

 of all races about flying from their hive 

 entrances to sting in an unprovoked 

 manner. Next to these are the crosses 

 containing the blood of theblacks. Ital- 

 ians have much less of this disposition, 

 and Oarniolansaud Cyprians rarely, the 

 latter almost never, fly iroin their hive 

 entrances to attack unless their hives 

 have been disturbed. Pure Cyprians 



FIG. 14. Manipulation tilting to bring re- 

 verse side of comb in view. (Original.) 



can generally be handled without the use of the bee veil by skillful bee 



manipulators who understand the qualities of 

 the race. Much of the work among pure Ital- 

 ians can be done without a veil after one has 

 gained experience in manipulation. During 

 four years' residence in Carniola the writer, 

 manipulating annually several hundred col- 

 onies of bees, never had occasion to employ a 

 bee veil. If no bees but gray Carniolans of 

 pure blood are in the apiary and some smoke 

 is used a veil will never be necessary. They 

 may be handled in all kinds of weather, early 

 and late, even during the night, yet with but 

 a small part of the risk which attends the 



Fi*. lo.-Mampulatiou-reverse side man i pu l a tioil of Other raCCS. Nor Will it be 



of comb brought to view. (Oug- _ 



Li.) necessary to deluge them with smoke from 



time to time, as one is obliged to do with blacks. To dispense entirety 

 with the bee veil is a more important con- 

 sideration, especially to the professional 

 beemaster, than is at first apparent to 

 the inexperienced. Its use injures the 

 eyesight seriously, especially where one 

 is obliged to strain his eyes for hours to 

 see eggs, larvae, etc., in the cells, to hunt 

 out queens and queen cells, and adjust 

 frames. Besides this, the hindrance to 

 rapid work which the veil causes, as 



u ell as the great discomfort in wearing 



it for hours during hot weather, are FIQ 16i _ Mailipulation _ exa iuimn g 



Considerations WOrth Weighing. Terse side of comb. (Original.) 



