THE HONEY BEE — HAMBLETON 475 



source of nectar. This may be one-quarter mile to 1 mile away from 

 where the colonies are actually situated. Acres of nectar-secreting 

 flora should be within the flight range of the bees. It is mostly a waste 

 to plant a crop for your own bees. Bees from neighboring apiaries 

 will help themselves and they may outnumber and outwork your own 

 bees. 



Wliile there may be literally hundreds of species of flowers upon 

 which the bees work for nectar or pollen or both, in any given locality 

 there are usually not more than two or three plant sources from which 

 the bees can make more honey than they require for their own keep. 

 Thus there are in the United States, perhaps, some three dozen or 

 so species from which 90 percent of the commercial honey is derived. 

 The clovers, including alfalfa, stand high in the list of principal 

 honey plants. Eed clover is an exception in that it seldom furnishes 

 the beekeeper with extra honey. Other important sources are orange, 

 tupelo, buckwheat, basswood, cotton, fireweed, star-thistle, sourwood, 

 gallberry, and mesquite. Within limited areas, there may be other 

 plant sources of a local nature that enable the beekeeper to obtain a 

 surplus of honey. 



Since beekeeping is so unlike gardening or taking care of livestock 

 with which most of us at one time or another have had limited ex- 

 perience, a person who contemplates a career as a beekeeper, on either 

 a large or a small scale, should start with not more than two or three 

 colonies. This will keep the investment in bees and equipment low and 

 still gives the beginner plenty of experience. 



There are some 250 beekeepers scattered through the Southern 

 States and California who specialize in furnishing bees to beginners 

 or to established beekeepers who wish to enlarge their operations. Two 

 or three pounds of bees and a queen are shipped by express or mail in 

 wire-screen cages. The cost for a 3-pound package with a lajdng 

 queen is approximately $5 to $6, and contains sufficient bees, from 

 11,000 to 12,000, to constitute a nucleus of a colony. If the new unit is 

 established early, that is during fruit bloom, it may develop into a 

 sufficiently strong colony to produce a worthwhile crop of honey the 

 first season. The beginner, however, should feel satisfied if he gets his 

 new pets in shape to produce a crop the second year. 



The hive equipment will run from $15 to $25 per colony, depending 

 upon the type of hive and the amount of extra equipment purchased. 

 A study of the catalogs of manufacturers of bee supplies will help in 

 making a proper selection. 



The beginner should wear a veil when learning to handle bees. A 

 timid or nervous person will find assurance in a pair of bee gloves. 

 It is seldom that bees sting through clothing and so no special equip- 

 ment is needed to protect the body. It is advisable to tie string around 



