°^ THE PRACTICAL BEE GUIDE. 



will probably be found, next day, in their normal condition of 

 amiability. To start in and fight them, may render them un- 

 manageable for the remainder of the season, and will certainly 

 lead to a precipitous flight. 



" Effect of Stings. — A writer In a contemporary wants to persuade 

 us that formic acid is not volatile. He ought to observe its effect on 

 dogs, and even on the slow-footed donkey. A venerable angler, 

 coming too close to a concealed apiary last suinmer, was seen, in- 

 spired with marvellous energy, laying about him with his fishing- 

 rod — when you come to think of it, an absurd weapon for the occasion. 

 After that he took a five-bar gate with the agility of a youngster. 

 The fishing-rod was propping asters in September ! We once saw a 

 boy scale a seven-foot wall, glazed, and drop into the street on the 

 other side, as it seemed from simple enthusiasm. The gate stood 

 open all the time within a jump of him. Ife had been trying to 

 scrape honey out of a hive entrance with a three-pronged fork. 

 Formic acid not volatile. Stuff and nonsense." — Irish Bee Journal, 



169. Protection for Beginners Beginners, and all who have 



not yet gained confidence from experience, will do well to 

 remember that after bees in a hive have been thoroughly sub- 

 dued, there may be an occasional bee returning from the fields, 

 or dodging about the hive, which has not yet been in- 

 fluenced for good ; and that, until it can safely be dispensed 

 with, a veil will prove a most useful protection for the head 

 and neck against the attacks of the " free lances " of the 

 colony (128-130). Procure a hat with a broad brim (Fig. 54) ; 

 draw the veil over it until the elastic grips the lower part of the 

 crown ; settle the veil over the shoulders ; button the coat, to 

 keep all secure ; and see that the veil is at least the length of 

 a bee-sting' apart from the face, ears, and neck. Next provide 

 against the possibility of a bee crawling up your legs, and 

 fasten your coat cuffs to protect your arms, for pressure of the 

 clothes will, certainly, cause a bee there to sting. If you find 

 it necessary to do so, don a pair of bee gloves, to protect your 

 hands and wrists (131). Thick woollen gloves, though safe, are 

 not desirable, because it is difficult to manipulate with them, 

 (132) and, although you may not be hurt, bees will often sting 

 them, mutilating themselves in the operation (39). 

 Apart from the fact that one can never afford need- 

 lessly to sacrifice bees, it is not humane, nor in accordance 

 with the principles of modern bee-keeping, to provoke them 

 to leave their stings in one's apparel. Burkitt bee gloves 

 offer little hindrance to manipulations, and are seldom attacked 

 (132). It should, however, be the aim of every begin- 

 ner to dispense with the use of gloves as soon as possible. 



