im 



GLKANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Dec. lo 



make the 

 bargain to in- 

 clude the de- 

 livery of the 

 hive and plac- 

 ing it in posi- 

 tion, and by 

 this little bit 

 of sagacity 

 you will es- 

 cape 75 per 

 cent of the 

 stings you are 

 liable to get 

 the first sea- 

 son. Herein 

 the writer 

 si)eaks out of 

 the fullness of 

 his experi- 

 ence, for his 

 first invest- 

 ment was a 

 derelict colo- 

 ny left behind 

 by a neighbor 

 who had gone 

 out west. The 

 purchase led 

 him into a 

 peck of inter- 

 esting trou- 

 bles, the first consignment of which was 

 delivered by about one million bees on his 

 ten fingers in one second — at least it looked 

 that way. He is perfectly certain about 

 the number of fingers, but did not take 

 time to count the bees or the seconds. 

 Let us see the cost of a little venture in 



Fig. 2.— "What is that side entrance for, Mr. naiid?" 



Fig. 4.— The Hand feeder drawer. 



amateur bee-keeping, stating the actual 

 necessaries for the first year, not quoting 

 the lowest prices possible, but those taken 

 from the catalog of a large and long-estab- 

 lished factory with a reputation above sus- 

 picion. 



Colony in ten-frame hive (in spring) 813.00 



(Note, cost in fall would be SIO.) 



2 comb-honey supers, complete. . 3.40 



1 smoker 85 



1 bee-veil 60 



1 pair bee-gloves 50 



1 Instruction-book 1.25 



I1P.60 

 Extra expense probable in average 

 year. 

 1 new hive for swarm, all com- 



~.pj plete $3.30 



Extra sections and foundation . . 1.00 



84.30 



In all likelihood the first col- 

 ony, if bought locally, will cost 

 less by a few dollars than the 

 price quoted. The first year's 

 outlay should not be allowed to 

 exceed $30.00, of which sum all 

 above $22.00 or $23.00 will be for 

 new hive-bodies as a conse- 

 quence of uncontrolled swarm- 

 ing. After the first year's in- 

 vestment, unless some very 

 exceptional condition arises, 

 the bees must keep themselves, 

 and no expansion should be at- 

 tempted unless the cash for the 

 hives has been earned by the 

 insects. 



The source of revenue is, of 

 course, comb honey. In an 

 average year the production 



