PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING 35 



slender rolls and feeding them in gradually, lighting the first one 

 before putting it in and keeping the bellows going lightly. When 

 the smoker is warmed up, hard wood, split, may be added and later 

 larger pieces until a good fire is started. Afterwards wood and 

 excelsior may be added from time to time.. Hard maple, well sea- 

 soned, or dead apple wood are the best fuel, as these woods do not 

 gum up the smoker as do some others. 



The beginner may find at first, until confidence is gained, that 

 a bee veil will be a very desirable investment. Indeed there are 

 few apiaries about which, at certain times, a veil will not be needed. 

 A very durable one can be made from black cotton tule, with about 

 eight or ten inches square of silk tule for the front, to better permit 

 sight. The usual style is made open at top and bottom. The top 

 is then gathered and a rubber band inserted, so that it will fit tightly 

 ever the crown of preferably a broad brimmed hat. The lower edge 



Fig. 8. The globe bee veil. 



then can be tucked in the neck or folded under one's coat. The 

 brim of the hat will hold the veil away from the face. There is 

 offered for sale what is known as the globe bee veil, the essential 

 feature of which is a pliable frame work skeleton which holds the 

 veiling from the head at all points. It is somewhat inconvenient 

 on account of the added weight. Rubber gloves can be worn but 

 on the whole they are a useless article and are soon discarded even 

 by the amateur. 



A small sized putty knife or an old case knife, for scraping 

 purposes, and a screw driver for prying the frames apart, together 

 with a feather plucked from the left wing of a turkey and used for 

 brushing the bees from the combs, equip one for opening a hive. It 



