MANIPULATION OF COMBS. 
33 
Fig. 14.— Manipulation— tilting to brin g 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; 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. Xext to these are the crosses 
containing the blood of theblacks. Ital- 
ians have much less of this disposition, 
and Carniolansaud Cyprians rarely, the 
latter almost never, fly from their hive 
entrances to attack unless their hives 
have been disturbed. Pure 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 never be necessary. They 
maybe 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 delude 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 important con- 
sideration, especially to the professional 
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, larvae, 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 
well as the great discomfort in wearing 
it for hours during hot weather, are 
considerations worth weighing. 
21471— No. 1 3 
Fig. l.j.— Manipulation— reverse side 
of comb brought to view. (Orig- 
inal.) 
I'm. K>.— Manipulation — examining 
verse side of OOBlb. (Original.) 
