BEEKEEPING AS AN AVOCATION FOR WOMEN* 



Hettie E. Hoffmax, Canajoiiaeie, X. Y. 



Some time ago I heard a man remark, " There is no occupa- 

 tion under the sun where women do not crowd in now-a-dajs.'* 

 The man was mistaken. Women are not crowding in, they have 

 long arrived and taken their place side by side with men, effi- 

 ciently helping along with life's work. In one resjDect the man 

 was right ; there is hardly an occupation under the sun with which 

 women have not or are not trying their luck. Beekeeping is one of 

 the many. How far hack there have been women beekeepers, or 

 how many there may be now, I could not tell ; but I know that hee^ 

 can be kept by women as successfully, both financially and other- 

 wise, as by men. 



There has been much nonsense written in papers about a veilless 

 and gloveless, as well as laborless, lucrative beekeeping for women, 

 children and invalids. Bees can be worked without veil or gloves, 

 I admit, but the woman who embarks in beekeeping with an idea 

 of taking her fancy-work into the apiary and sitting contentedly 

 watching her bees gather the honey for her, will soon conclude that 

 if she wishes to realize the profit from them she is anticipating; 

 she would better don veil and gloves and do some honest work ; 

 do it when her interests demand it, and not only at times when 

 the bees happen to be in the mood to be worked without an- 

 tagonism. 



When I was requested to write this paper on " beekeeping for 

 women," I found the only thing I could tell was my own experi- 

 ence as a woman beekeeper ; this I have endeavored to do without 

 any attempt at rose-coloring or discouragement. 



When my father died, several years ago, mother and I sud- 

 denly found ourselves with 225 colonies of bees on our hands, 

 the principal care of which depended on me. Although an ex- 

 perienced beekeeper's daughter, I was disgracefully ignorant of 

 the proper management of bees. Father had always had help to 

 work his bees, and the honey-house work had been my share. I 



* Delivered at a Bee-Keepern Institute at Utica, N. Y. 



[1518] 



