THOUSAND ANSWERS 219 



A. Maybe one smoking will do for all day; maybe two 

 minutes. So long as the bees remain peaceable they need no 

 more smoke. No matter if they do come to the, top of the frames, 

 so long as they remain good-natured, but when they begin to fly 

 at you, give them enough smoke to make them behave. 



Q. How much smoke should I give a cross colony of bees? 



A. As in other cases, use as little as possible, but enough to 

 subdue them. That isn't very definite, is it? Perhaps I might say 

 keep on smoking so long as the bees keep darting out at you, 

 and stop as soon as they beat a retreat. With most bees a very 

 little smoke is necessary, and if you keep on smoking they will 

 boil out and run over the sides of the hive at the top. That's too 

 much. Some have reported bees of such disposition that smoke 

 seemed to have little or no effect on them, if, indeed, it did not 

 make them fiercer, and the only thing to do was to manipulate 

 very carefully. Yours are hardly of that kind. 



Smokers. — Q. What size smoker is the best to use? 



A. I never saw a smoker too large, although with only one or 

 two colonies you can get along with a small one. Sometimes you 

 want a bigger volume of smoke than a small smoker will give, and 

 you can use just as little smoke as you like with a large smoker. 

 The large smoker holds fire better than the small one, and you 

 can more easily have fuel to fit the large one. 



Q. At what time do you consider it necessary to use the 

 smoker? Do you think too much strong smoke is injurious to 

 brood and queen? I prefer using brush and veil as much as possi- 

 ble. I am stocking up with selected Italians. Are not these the 

 most gentle bees we have? 



A. If I were keeping bees merely for the fun of it, I might 

 handle them without any smoker at all, and with very gentle ones 

 it may never be absolutely necessary. Aside from quieting the 

 bees, no good can certainly come from, blowing smoke into a hive, 

 and no more should be used than necessary. But as a matter of 

 actual practice I generally give a puff at the entrance before 

 opening each hive, and a little over the top as the cover is re- 

 moved. I can hardly afford the time to go slowly enough without 

 any smoke. Bees are like folks — they differ in disposition. 

 Italian bees are very gentle in general, but there are exceptions. 

 As a whole, they probably do not excel the Carniolans in gentle- 

 ness. 



Smoker Fuel. — Q. What is the proper fuel for the smoker? 



