MANIPULATION OF COMBS. 



33 



Fig. 14. — Manipulation — tilting to bring re- 

 verse side of comb in view. (Original.) 



cult to avoid stings on the hands unless considerable smoke has been 



driven into the entrance beforehand and 



time has been given the bees to get well 



filled with honey before the hive is 



opened 5 even then frequent recourse to 



smoke will generally be necessary. 



Blacks are by far the most troublesome 



of all races about flying from their hive 



entrances to sting in an unprovoked 



manner. Next to these are the crosses 



containing the blood of the blacks. Ital- 

 ians have much less of this disposition, 



and Carniolansand Cyprians rarely, the 



latter almost never, fly from their hive 



entrances to attack unless their hives 



have been disturbed. Fure Cyprians 



can generally be handled without the use of the bee veil by skillful bee 



manipulators who understand the qualities of 

 the race. Much of the work among pure Ital- 

 ians can be done without a veil after one has 

 gained experience in manipulation. During 

 four years' residence in Carniola the writer, 

 manipulating annually several hundred col- 

 onies of bees, never had occasion to employ a 

 bee veil. If no bees but gray Carniolans of 

 pure blood are in the apiary and some smoke 

 is used a veil will jiever be necessary. They 

 may be handled in all kinds of weather, early 

 and late, even during the night, yet with but 

 a small part of the risk which attends the 

 manipulation of other races. Nor will it be 

 necessary to deluge them with smoke from 



time to time, as one is obliged to do with blacks. To dispense entirely 



with the bee veil is a more imi)ortant con- 

 sideration, especially to the i^rofessional 



beemaster, than is at first apparent to 



the inexperienced. Its use injures the 



eyesight seriously, especially where one 



is obliged to strain his eyes for hours to 



see eggs, larva^, etc., in the cells, to hunt 



out queens and queen cells, and adjust 



frames. Besides this, the hindrance to 



rapid work which the veil causes, as 



\\ ell as the great discomfort in wearing- 

 it for hours during hot weather, are 



considerations worth weighing. 

 I52G— No. 1 3 



Fig. 15. — Manipulation — reverse side 

 of comb brought to view, (Orig- 

 inal.) 



Fig 



16.— Manipulation — examiniui: 

 verse side of comb. (Original.) 



