214 FIFTY TEARS AMONG THE BEES 



border of white cloth is sewed on the veil to receive the rubber 

 cord. 



The nibber cord holds the veil close about one's neck, yet 

 not close enough but that a bee sometimes gets under it. Al- 

 though a bee is not at all likely to sting when it gets inside a 

 veil, it is just as well to have it remain outside. So my assistant 

 devised the plan of drawing the veil down very tightly in front, 

 and pinning it to her waist with a safety-pin. Seeing it work 

 so well with her, I have also adopted the plan, pinning to my 

 suspenders on one side, or to my vest if I have one on. 



Sometimes a face-piece of silk net is sewed in the veil. 

 Instead of having the veil sewed to my hat, so that the bee-hat 

 must l)e taken along when we go to an out-apiary, I sometimes 

 have in my pocket a veil made with a rubber cord shirred into 

 each end, and when I reach the apiary the veil is slipped on 

 over the hat I am wearing. 



The openings at the wrist and neck of my shirt are small, 

 the cloth lapping over so as to give a bee little chance for 

 entrance. If bees are likely to be on the ground I put my pants 

 inside my stockings, or, still better, put on a pair of trouser 

 guards such as bicyclists wear. I get a great many stings on my 

 hands, but the inconvenience and discomfort of gloves are so 

 great that for many years I felt the stings to be the lesser of the 

 two evils. But after working for years to get bees that would 

 give the most honey, without paying any attention to the 

 temper of the bees, I finally had bees so cross that in spite of 

 the inconvenience I felt obliged to wear gloves. 



My assistant ])refers to wear gloves, not only to avoid the 

 stings, but to avoid the bee-glue. I may say in passing that I 

 am not always very particular about getting the bee-glue oft my 

 hands, but when I do clean them I usually give the bee-glue a 

 good rubbing with butter or grease, and then wash off with soap 

 and water. I confess I don't ^-ery much mind having bee-glue 

 on my hands unless there is so much of it that it sticks to the 

 bed-clothes at night. But I do abhor the sticky feeling of honey 

 on my hands; and when they get daubed, if I have no water I 

 pick up some soil to rub them with. That at least takes away 

 the sticky feeeling. Perhaps you think the soil is worse than the 

 honey. I don't. 



