The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-09-11


When the young queen cmcr@cS from
her cradle. the queen cell. and has
taken her first rcpast she begins work
hy tearing open the remaining queen
cells and killing the inmates, unless
another swarm is to Issue. in whlh
event the cells are eUardcl II before.
When she i, iyc or six days old ihc
queen flies out to meet 4 tIronc. and
in two or three days more will have
settled down to her life work dcp">it
Ing c@@s in vacant cells. II Il second
swarm issues she will 90 with them
and a Younger queen will take her
place. Next in order come, the great
business Of the year. the gathering Of
nature harvest. and storing the same
for future use. Later in the season
every crack or crcvicc in the hive will
be plastcrcd up with propoli.' or bee
glue. which the bees gather from &um
trees. etc. All will be made taut and
snug against the storms and cold Of the
winter season.
After this brief outline Of the work
Of the year. we come to the subject Of
'stinelcss bees. Naturali>ts haze
described several varieties Of bees
which have no stia@.. There is the
genus ",}Iclipona found in Mexico,
Central and South America, which
lives in hollow logs. storing some hon
cy and much wax. Some Of these bee:
were imported years ago into llichi-
gan, but soon died out Another re-
Mus known a> the "Iri@ona is found
in Africa. India and the Pacific Is
lands. They build combs in the
branches Of trees like some other wild
bees. 1t is probable that these
varieties have no more practical value
to the bee man than have the humble
bees. which also store honey and WAX.
Perhaps the report alluded to sprung
from the advertisement Of queen
breeder in Massachusetts, who is Of
fcring for sale "non-sting and non
warmne bees. But he does not
mean to be taken literally. He claims
that from one hive which is often han
died he has never received Il sting.
There is nothing remarkable in that
fact The writer is accustomed to
take parties Of ladies and children in
to his bee yard, opening various
hives. taking out bees and combs to
exhibit all the mysteries of bee hive.
They are never Stlng or attacked by the
bees. The one solitary visitor rccciy-
ing sting during the past four years
was country editor who brandishcd
his wool hat and offered battle to an
inquisitivc bee, his offer being prompt
y accepted
Mrs. .lcnie Atchlcy. of Texas. has
photograph Of her family which
shows hcr two-yrar-old infant holding
in it. lap comb crowned with bees.
The baby is gnawing the upper edge
of the comb. and the bees enter no
protest whatever. OF course these
arc the gentle and beautiful Italian
bees, and they may well be called
practically "stin.lcSS.
The fact is bees without stin&s
would not answer our purpose at all.
We need bees with good long stings.
kept in constant workin" order, to-
ecthcr with readiness and promptncss
in the use of the same. provided they
display judgment as to time and
place. rs it is bees are destroyed by
thousands through the rayagcs Of sri-
dcrs. toal<. dragon flies, and other
enemies. If they were stinglcsss they
would fall an easy prey to innumcra-
bic other foes. from mice To mcm. and
bee hives. owing to thcirrich treasures
and their exposed location, would be
visited more frequently than are hen
ro0Sts.
However, beginners need not be
discouraged nor need they believe in
the old superstition that certain per
Sons are always stune by bees, while
others can handle them with safcty
the safety consists in knowing how.
Mrs. .Atchlcy's little daughter, about
I years old, has ten hives Of her own,
and manages them without assistance,
except when some liftin" must be
done. Other smart children have done
as much, and many ladies make very
successful bee keepers. The secret of
controlling bees is simple. The use
of little smoke alarms the workers.
who fear for the safety of their treas
urc, the honey. They fill their sacks
full of honey, and in that condition
bees will not sting unless hurt by
rough uSagc-thcy can be handled
like so many flies. OF course prccau
tions are necessary. such rs the fol-
lowing:
BE very gcntlc and deliberate in all
operations with bccs-rcmembcr their
sex. Never breathe on Il bee: it is
considered i preach of cti1rcttc and
will be resented. DO not jar the hives
or combs. Never show fear or ncr
vouSncSs even if you feel that way.
The bee reasons like 4 policeman. and
suspects anyone dodgine about their
premises Of evil designs, so stand your
ground and appear unconcerncd.
Avoid any quick sudden movements
which may be construed by them as
hostile.
The novice may protect the hands
and face with the bccvcil and leather
cloves. though no experienced person
would be troubled with gloves. The
bcc-ycil is easily and chcaply made by
sowing strip of hobinct eighteen in
chcs deep round the rim Of straw
hat. The lower part may be put in
side they vest or dress. Isc cotton
bobinct. with Il small square Of the
silk kind to look through. Both
should be black Finally be assured
that the last thin" an expert concerns
himself about is >tings. He gets
some stngS when working much in
the hives. but like any other inuocu-
lation the poison soon ceases t" take
any effect. In ten minutes after being
>tung the bee man could >cnrcc Y iin;l
the place. for the pain i> quickly cone
and there will be 10 swcli;n@ or after
effects.
,;orMc mention should be Mil,lc Of
by bees. which is onc Of the
most Formidable difficulties in bee
keeping. In every apiary there are
certain 'lcrravrd bees which have at