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134 



SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



first I had, I think, and the next day 

 I went to examine them. You don't 

 know how proud I was to handle them 

 without smoke or bee-veil. The next 

 day I undertook to show some one how 

 nicely I could take them out without 

 the bee-veil or smoke. I didn't take 

 them out. I went and got the smoke 

 and bee-veil. That has been my ex- 

 perience ever since. Sometimes I can 

 do anything; sometimes they can do 

 anything. I have been thinking of your 

 having bees in a small lot where youi 

 neighbors are around. Don't your bees 

 ever act like that, especially in the fall 

 of the year? Don't they get ugly as 

 mine do, so that it is not safe to go 

 within 40 or 50 feet without danger of 

 being stung? I am like Mr. Moore. 

 I don't mind a couple of thousand 

 stings. I would not like to be stung to 

 death, of course. But I have a son-in- 

 law who was stung once, and he says 

 he would not keep the blamed things 

 around. I imagine there are lots of 

 other men, and lots of women and child- 

 ren who feel that same way. I do not 

 know but what you can rear bees for 

 breeding purposes; never let them get 

 strong; keep them always weak; and 

 not have them sting. I do not know 

 but what you can, but I should awfully 

 hate to try it, and I don't want to back 

 anybody else up. My voice is for being 

 careful, and, if you have trouble, put 

 yourself in the other fellow's place. 



Mr. Taylor — I just want to make one 

 suggestion, and that is this : I think 

 that we ought, just as soon as we pos- 

 sibly can, to learn to know when we can 

 handle bees with inpunity. A bee-keep- 

 er after he has had considerable ex- 

 perience will learn, as Mr. Kimmey has 

 done, that he can at one time handle his 

 bees with no appearance of anger on 

 their part, and at another time they are 

 full of vengeance. One can learn with 

 a little thought and care just what to' 

 do in his apiary, and to get along with- 

 out ever angering them. I have not for 

 years had any trouble in my apiary in 

 any way. Of course, it would be a lit- 

 tle more difficult, perhaps, if I were pro- 

 ducing extracted honey, but with comb 

 honey there is no necessity at all of 

 stirring up your bees. If you only use 

 good common judgment in handling 

 them, and the time when to do it, there 

 is no necessity to do it. 



Mr. Kimmey — I was talking of my 

 early experiences. I think I have now 



learned those things. I think on open- 

 ing a hive I can tell whether they are 

 going to fight or not. I know I can 

 tell by the smell when they begin. But 

 while I may know, how are the neigh- 

 bors and the children to know? 



Dr, Miller — There is another point. 

 Suppose I know enough to know ex- 

 actly how the bees are going to act, by 

 they way they behave, by the odor or 

 something like that. Suppose I go off 

 5 miles to do some work? The only 

 thing is to have the bees off where they 

 won't bother anybody. City bee-keep- 

 ing is one thing, and country another. 

 If I were in the city with the bees I 

 have now I would not keep them except 

 in the center of the block, and I would 

 have blocks consolidated into one. One 

 point should be emphasized for the city 

 bee-keeper : Gentleness of character is 

 of first importance; if they will gather 

 only half as much honey, to have bees 

 that are gentle. If we are away off in 

 the country it doesn't matter so much. 



Mr. Wheeler — I would like to make 

 one other point ; that is, a good smoker. 

 It is worth more than all your breed of 

 bees. Do not fool around with a cheap 

 smoker which many people get. They 

 buy a smoker that costs very little — 

 a quarter, or something of that kind. 

 It will go out and bother them. They 

 would better spend a little money for a 

 good smoker, and go at the bees and 

 frighten them well, and they won't 

 sting. 



Women as Bee-Keepers. 



"Would you advise a woman to keep 

 bees? Would she be equal to it?" 



Mr. Taylor — It would depend upon 

 the woman. 



Pres. York — I think perhaps Miss 

 Wilson can answer that. 



Miss Wilson — That would be my an 

 swer. It would depend upon the woman. 



Mr. Wilcox — It might be proper to 

 say that because she is a woman is no 

 reason why she should not keep bees. 

 If she has the strength and the incHna- 

 tion, she can keep them just as well 

 as a man. 



Mr. Whitney— I have had a little ex- 

 perience in giving women some instruc- 

 tions in handling bees. There are quite 

 a number in Lake Geneva and they are 

 quite successful. They have no trouble 

 in handling them at all, and I think they 

 are more gentle in handling bees than 

 men are. Although they may be of a 

 nervous temper they handle the bees 



