430 



GLEANINGS lis BEE CULTURE 



July, 1919 



mum of results with the minimum of exer- 

 tion. He should be familiar with ordinary 

 mechanical tools, and be able to make neces- 

 sary repairs to hives and other equipment. 



He will know each variety of flower on 

 which he depends for a crop of honey, 

 when and how long it may be expected to 

 bloom, and what are the probable effects 

 of weather on it. He will know when 

 the bees are preparing to swarm, and what 

 measures to take to prevent or control 

 swarming. 



He will know the life history of the 

 queen, the workers, and the drones, and 

 what are the functions of each, and a multi- 

 tude of other details. In fact, a specialist 

 beekeeper is sure to be a well-rounded-out 



better off financially if he had given the 

 farm away when he inherited it, and had 

 devoted himself exclusively to beekeeping 

 instead of dividing his time and attention 

 between the farm and the bees. 



Best Strains of Bees Needed. 

 To reach the highest measure of success 

 in any occupation, the best means to attain 

 the desired end must be employed. The 

 farmer specializes in the crops best suited 

 to his soil and climate; the horticulturist, 

 with those varieties of fruit that reach the 

 highest perfection in his locality; and the 

 livestock specialist, with the breeds of stock 

 best adapted to his purpose. The beekeeper 

 is no exception to this rule. To realize the 

 highest percentage of profit, the best strains 



Many returned soldiers and nurses are thinking of taking up beekeeping. 



intellectual man or woman, whether having 

 had good educational opportunities and ad- 

 vantages or not; and let it be said in passing 

 that the necessity of all these accomplish- 

 ments in the successful beekeeper may be 

 given as the reason for the higher average 

 of his intelligence. 



Some men have the beekeeping instinct so 

 highly developed that any time they may 

 devote to other money-making activities is 

 against their financial success. As an illus- 

 tration, a beekeeper of New York State, 

 who enjoys an international reputation for 

 his success as a beekeeper, and who inherit- 

 ed a valuable farm of some two hundred 

 acres, maintains that he would have been 



of bees must be employed — those that are 

 markedly industrious; that resist disease; 

 that winter well; that are gentle,'and easy 

 to manipulate; and, if comb honey is to be 

 produced, bees that cap the honey white. 

 How Best to Gain Experience. 

 The prospective beekeeper should not al- 

 low his ardor to get the best of his judg- 

 ment. Too much haste is not speed in ac- 

 quiring proficiency, and in making beekeep- 

 ing a commercial success. One way to learn 

 the business is to commence with not to ex- 

 ceed five colonies, and with these, put into 

 practice the theories and practical directions 

 that are obtainable from text-books, bee 

 periodicals, and government bulletins on 



