Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-06-29
HOW BEES WERE KEPT OFF. :

An Agrioulturlst Tells His Neighbors' Woes
and His Own Remedy.
More than once my neighbors had been
annoyed by my bees attacking them as
they were passing along the road short
distance off, and more than twice L had
been appealed to b abats the nuisance.
The matter was becoming serious, espe-
cially as 1 could see no better location for
my hives. Whichever way turned them,
a road or neighbours yard was right in
range, and besides, after the bees left the
hive, they would go in whichever direction
they preferred anyway. l found, how
ever, that where they issued from the OPP
posite side of the hive from their pasture
field they usually rose somewhat higher
before they reached the road. Still this
was only a partial remedy, and deter
mined to observe further.
was not long in discovering that few,
If any, of my bees went to their highway
attacks with malice aforethought. In
stead they were making the traditional
Though not the additionally straight) bee
line for their forage ground, when, just as
they would attempt to cross the road,
along would come some useless thing big
ger than themselves and block the passage
1 have noticed that it doesn't matter par
ticularly whether person runs against a
club or the club falls against the person,
if the velocity is the same. That Is prob
ably the way bee looks at it, and bees
don't like to be insulted. They sit down
hard on that at once ana sting.
There are two safe ways for railroads
to meet road crossings-to wait or to be
waited for at the crossing, OF to sWltch OH
on some other line and not cross at all.
| saw no way to make tho bees walt, SO
| decided to switch them off. AS first step
I built trellis just inside the garden
fence and, covered it as soon as possible
with some rapid growing vine The trel'
lis was perhaps eight feet high and con-
sisted of few posts, to which common
fence boards were nailed This part OF
the work was done as early In the spring
as possible and the seeds sown as soon as
the condition Of the soil and climate war
ranted. Just back Of this I commenced
work on a more permanent sort OF trelll'
and set out q row of grapevines. 1t wa'
late for them, but most of them are thirty
ing though don't expect them to take
very active part in my plan for SOM
wears. But the vines along the outer trel
lis grew rapidly and soon covered tn
framework with mass Of foliage ant
bloom.
This continuance, 1 have no doubt, In
terfered with the bees to some extent
first and possibly submitted to q few sc
we're stings, but it made no complaint, a
the neighbors had, and gradually thes
animated bullets learned to rise somewha
before they shot and cleared the trellls. !
was about the most peculiar method eve
heard of for raising bees, but the result
were most gratifying. After they are ono
ND in the air, they seldom drop much I'll
they approach their stopping place-cel
tainly not in the short interval betwee
the trellis and the road.
I feel that 1 have solved problem tht
formerly gave me no little vexation. Thi
3 Is what those vines do. Now, about Il
q prapevines starting inside. The quic
growing vines 1 mentioned are a sort
makeshift that have to be renewed eaC
5 year. The grapevines, after they obtai
n their growth, will make a permanent b.
break and protect my plague striokC
e neighbors from further injury.-Bee Kee