April, 1916. 



131 



American Hee Journal 



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EXHlBll Al HARTFORD FAIR-ROWS OF BEES SHOWN AT RIGHT 



ered at a safe distance as did I. I had 

 heard a great ringing of bells, beating 

 of pans, shouting, and had seen much 

 running to and fro, but I arrived after 

 the excitement was mostly over. The 

 bees, deposited on a white draped table 

 were marching decorously into their 

 new home urged by a man armed with 

 a hen's wing. I had never seen the in- 

 side of a hive, and my reading had 

 been confined to newspaper articles un- 

 illustrated, so that my knowledge of 

 bees was very slight: however, I was 

 fascinated and eager to learn, but I 

 kept at a safe distance from any hives 

 with bees in them. 



When the swarm came to me it was 

 the men folks who were shy, and I had 

 no notion to let them leave me because 

 I had not grit enough to capture them. 

 I sallied forth arrayed in my husband's 

 rain coat and gloves, with my head tied 

 up in the biggest hat veil I had. I 

 seized a box, a table cloth and a wing, 

 and adopting as nearly as I was able 

 my neighbor's tactics I soon had them 

 in a box. The veil was not all that 

 could be desired, and I received stings 

 through it where it was drawn close to 

 ray chin, but I was too much engaged 

 to mind about that. 



I longed inexpressibly to overhaul 

 the inside of the hive all that summer, 

 but had not the courage, and about 

 Thanksgiving time I had them carried 

 into the cellar where they wintered 

 with the loss of but a small handful of 

 dead bees on the bottom-board. My 

 experience since then has been varied, 

 some good, some bad, but all highly 

 educational. Like most novices, I 

 wanted to try everything I heard of, 

 and some of these trials were not all 

 that could be desired, and I feel sure 

 of one thing, and that is that the honey 

 bee is not subject to any set of ironclad 

 rules, and very frequently overturns 

 the best laid plans and most plausible 

 theories. I am more and more con- 

 firmed in this opinion by reading the 

 experience of others as given in the 

 bee journals. The bees frequently up- 

 set all calculations. As long as they 

 follow nature's way unchecked it is 

 quite easy to guess what they will do, 

 but when trying to manipulate them 

 to ways of human planning there is 



frequently another guess coming. 



I have not lost my interest in them 

 with familiarity. Indeed, the more I 

 learn about them the more interested 

 I become. I have raised chickens, 

 ducks and geese, taught school, taken 

 boarders, canvassed, raised small fruit, 

 done sewing and fancy work, and I 

 have never found any of these occupa- 

 tions so interesting as beekeeping. 

 There has been but little of the work 

 in which I needed help. The hives are 

 carried in and out of the cellar for me, 

 and if a swarm gets too high some one 

 has to help me get them, but in three 

 years this has happened only once. 



To the woman of frail physique I 

 know nothing more healthful, interest- 

 ing, profitable, and within her power. 

 There are really not more than si.x weeks 

 or two months of the year when they 

 require much time or labor. By plan- 

 ning to prevent swarming and having 

 a man to carry them in and out of the 

 cellar or pack them for winter, there 

 is little work requiring much strength. 



I heartily recommend beekeeping to 

 women wishing to earn money at home 

 in a pleasant easy manner. I notice in 

 picture groups of beekeepers white 

 haired ladies. My own hair is white. 

 Age is no obstacle. Years ago I knew 

 an old lady who had a small apiary. 

 She was small and white haired, and 

 soft voiced. To hear her crooning to 

 her bees, and to see her handling them 

 without harm was a pretty sight, but 

 her grandson could not come within 

 sight of the hives without being chased. 

 Quite evidently they kn ;w their friends 

 from their enemies. No doubt our 

 progressive young women, if they de- 

 sire, can make a much greater success 

 on a larger scale than we older folk, 

 and we will be glad to have them do so. 

 Glover, Vt. 



Distance Bees Fly After Honey 

 —Smell vs. Sight 



BY GEORGE S. WHEELER. 



AFTER reading the interesting arti- 

 cles in Gleanings of Dec. 1, by F. 

 M. Baldwin, and of the editors in 

 the American Bee Journal of February 

 on the above subject, I should like to 

 give a little of my experience, as I have 

 been interested in bees for many years. 



I had my first swarm in 18.56, and 

 have kept bees ever since, both in 

 the North and in Florida. I procured 

 my first Italian queen in 1866, of K. P. 

 Kidder, of Burlington, Vt. Soon after 

 I had some 40 colonies, mostly Italians. 



I was very fond of hunting bees, and 

 as no one in my vicinity kept any but 

 the blacks, I had a pretty good chance 

 to line them. If I went north 4 or 5 

 miles I could find plenty of Italians, 

 and after feeding them they would fly 

 straight for the Wheeler Farm Apiary. 

 When I went in the opposite direction 

 it was the same. These bees certainly 

 could not see the flowers, as my home 

 is among hills and mountains. I have 

 lined bees many times to the west and 

 northwest. There is a mountain which 



AMHERST. MASS- 



AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE IN DISTANCE 



Photo by John H. Lovell. 



