BE) EB: S.. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Bee keeping for pleasure and profit is carried on by many thousands 
of people in all parts of the United States. As a rule, it is not the 
sole occupation. There are, however, many places where an ex- 
perienced bee keeper can make a good living by devoting his entire 
time and attention to this line of work. It should be emphasized 
that it is unwise for the average individual to undertake extensive 
bee keeping without considerable previous experience on a small 
scale, since there are so many minor details which go to make up suc- 
cess in the work. These must be thoroughly understood before there 
is any hope for continued success. It is, therefore, most desirable 
to begin on a small scale, make the bees pay for themselves and for 
all additional apparatus, as well as some profit, and gradually to 
increase as far as the local conditions or the desires of the individual 
permit. 
Bee culture is the means of obtaining for human use a natural 
product which is abundant in almost all parts of the country, and 
which would be lost to us were it not for the honey bee. The annual 
production of honey and wax in the United States makes apiculture a 
profitable minor industry of the country. From its very nature it 
can never become one of the leading agricultural pursuits, but that 
there is abundant opportunity for its growth can not be doubted. 
Not only is the honey bee valuable as a producer, but it is also one of 
the most beneficial of insects in cross-pollinating the flowers of various 
economic plants. 
Bee keeping is also extremely fascinating to the majority of people 
as a pastime, furnishing outdoor exercise as well as intimacy with an 
insect whose activity has been a subject of absorbing study from the 
earliest times. It has the advantage of being a recreation which 
pays its own way and often produces no mean profit. 
It is a mistake, however, to paint only the bright side of the picture 
and leave it to the new bee keeper to discover that there is often an- 
other side. Where any financial profit is derived, bee keeping re- 
quires hard work and work at just the proper time, otherwise the 
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