6 BEE-KEEPING, A FASCINATING PURSUIT 
cautious about over-confidence until he has become familiar with 
the habits of the insects and the methods of control. 
There are some who cannot overcome a nervous fear of the 
bees, and consequently can never handle them successfully. The 
first essential in controlling bees is to be able to control one’s 
self. When a bee comes buzzing about, the chances are ninety- 
nine in a hundred that she will make no trouble unless the person 
under observation starts it. How often people get stung by 
starting a fuss with a perfectly friendly bee, when if they would 
only keep quiet there would be no trouble. One can very soon 
come to recognize the difference between the hum of a friendly 
bee and the angry buzz of one on the warpath. The experiment 
has been tried of keeping perfectly still when pursued by angry 
ones. Often they alight on the operator with apparent surprise 
that he is not kicking up a fuss, and, after a moment or two of 
hesitation, fly away without drawing their daggers. This plan 
is not always successful, though there is less danger of getting 
stung when quiet than when frantically kicking and striking 
in every direction. Where a colony is on the warpath, the best 
plan is to keep away until they have become quiet, for it is very 
difficult to control bees after they have become fully aroused. 
Fifty or a hundred friendly bees crawling over a seasoned 
hec-keeper cause him not the slightest uneasiness, but on the other 
hand, he is likelv rather to enjoy the sensation. One who is 
not accustomed to handling them should always take the pre- 
caution to protect himself fully with veil and gloves, until he 
becomes so familiar with them as to be able to overcome his 
nervousness when they alight on the face or hands. 
Some Causes of Trouble——There are several things that have 
a tendency to cause trouble between the operator and his bees. 
They are much more inclined to be cross when the atmosphere 
is heavy before a storm, and sometimes after. They show a 
tendeney to be more hostile toward one dressed in dark colored 
clothing than in light garments. One should take care to never 
go about the bees with the odor of the stable clinging to his gar- 
