T 



;e (i)ee-jAeepeps 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tlqe Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$K00 A YFAR. 



W. Z, HDTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



e 



VOL Xil 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, MARCH 10, 1899. NO 3. 



KEEPING BEES GOOD NATURED. 



The Parts Played by Dress, Smoke and Man- 

 agement. 



T. F. BIXGHAM. 



n 



.wise, het-ii 

 requested to 

 state my ideas for 

 niaiia<i;inj< an api- 

 ary in sucli a man- 

 ner as to enable 

 bees to be kept in 

 tO'.\i:sai.d villaj^es 

 w i t li o u I c o m - 

 ])1 lint, 1 may be 

 allowed to say 

 tliai the field is too wide for an article 

 from a ver}- busy bee-keeper. 



The first object, of course, is to allow 

 the bees to be good nalured and happy. 

 This is on the presum])tion that bees are 

 naturally happy. There is, however, a 

 wide, untamed suspicion among bees that 

 people strolling aimlessly about their 

 hives need watching. To do this, perhaps 

 unnecessary police duty, a few bees seem 

 always on the look out for flowing hair 

 or wool hats. Knowing that these two 

 features are unpleasant to them, we, of 



cdirse, will not wear wool hats; instead, 

 we will wear a hat having a cape of cheese 

 cloth falling over our neck and shoulders 

 in such a manner as will prevent the bees 

 from getting tangled in our back hair. 

 This cape may be open in the face, or it 

 may be covered with fine silk netting— 

 never wire. Such a hat may hang where 

 it will be handy to put on. It does not 

 assume to keep one absolutely safe from 

 cross bees, but it will do much to keep 

 them good natured and out of one's hair. 



It is probable that any bee once render- 

 ed malicious will forever remain so; for 

 this reason no one should ever go into an 

 apiary without the above precautions, 

 and, farther, a reliable smoker. Oh yes, 

 now you have got in a little smoker ad ! 

 Well, I don't see how I can provide any 

 other plan by which inquisitive bees can 

 be kept from looking at those beautiful 

 blue eyes through the opening in the cape 

 about your hat; and lingering with justi- 

 fiable curiosity and A'onder at your un- 

 necessary presence among their homes. 



.\11 winged insects are afiaid of smoke; 

 and while no one can expect vicious bees 

 to start at once for home and honey at the 

 smell of smoke, a nice cloud of smoke 

 will at once change their high C note to 

 the middle register; and the acrid odor of 

 infuriated bees will disappear as by magic. 



