. Gleanings in bee culture . between trips. CROSS BEES AS HONEY-GATHERERS. That gentleness in bees is a great thing, every-body will admit: but I have been gradually comingto the conclusion that bees with an edge to theirtemper are usually the best honey-gatherers. Thethree colonies that did best for me this year are theonly ones that I do not care to handle withouthaving a smoker near. Two of them strike as soonas the cover is oflf. The third seldom stings, butbluffs. As soon as one touches a frame the beescrawl over his hands, up the sleeves, and makefrantic dashes everywhere, stopping just
. Gleanings in bee culture . between trips. CROSS BEES AS HONEY-GATHERERS. That gentleness in bees is a great thing, every-body will admit: but I have been gradually comingto the conclusion that bees with an edge to theirtemper are usually the best honey-gatherers. Thethree colonies that did best for me this year are theonly ones that I do not care to handle withouthaving a smoker near. Two of them strike as soonas the cover is oflf. The third seldom stings, butbluffs. As soon as one touches a frame the beescrawl over his hands, up the sleeves, and makefrantic dashes everywhere, stopping just beforethey hit; and after the hive is shut up, a numberwill follow a iierson all around the apiary. TheblufBng bee is a nuisance. In my experience, thebee that keeps following one around is practicallyalways a bluffer. I have put up my veil and stoodquite still to see if it would sting, but I have neverknown it to do so. I think this pest is quite oftena bee that has lost Its sting. Hatzic, B. C. Wm. L. Couper. Dec. 1, 1911. E. M. Gibsons scheme for avoiding lifting as much as possible. DECAPITATING BROOD TO PREVENT SWARMS. BY B. M. GIBSON. My opinion has been asked in regard todecapitating brood to prevent swarming. Iwill say most emphatically, and withoutfear of contradiction, that my bees do bestwith their heads left on. I am reminded ofa story of two young doctors who were boast-ing of their success in surgery. One of themsaid he had a patient with tuberculosis, andhe just cut out the diseased lung and insert-ed a sponge, which worked all right. Theother said he had a case of softening of thebrain, and he simply removed the manshead and put on a pumpkin, and the patientwas doing well at last reports. When weget so skillful with the knife that we can re-move the bees heads and give them non-swarming ones I may advocate decapitating,but not before. There is not a shadow ofdoubt in my mind, however, that, if com-menced early enough, and persisted in longenough, the process wou
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbees, bookyear1874
