MARCH 1. 1913 



we Lad al that time (20 colonies) to my 

 sole care, and since then I have been en- 

 gaged in supplying a few drug firms with 

 bee poison in various forms, and raising 

 honey as a side issue merely, as I have be- 

 come, daring these years, almost immune to 

 the effects of stings. 



I have never cut out a hive, but have done 

 about every thing that was ever done with 

 or for a bee. I nailed about all the hive 

 frames and boxes; put foundation in boxes 

 and frames; helped look over our apiary 

 of about 100 to 200 colonies, about once in 

 ten days, during the summer season ; assist- 

 ed in queen-rearing, selling, and shipping 

 full colonies, nuclei, and pounds of bees ; 

 uncapped, extracted sometimes Avhen neces- 

 sary, and every thing else that could be done 

 by a woman. 



"We exliibited for several years at our 

 State fair, and took the first prize one j-ear 

 for tlie largest and best exhibit of comb 

 honej' ever placed in the building — 1400 

 lbs., all in 1-lb. sections, and good enough 

 to be classed Xo. 1 or " Fancy." 



I sell at my door what honey I raise, and 

 always enjoj' very much a good talk with 

 a brother or sister beekeeper. My husband 

 complains sometimes that I enthuse people 

 too much when I talk bees to them, which, 

 perhai3s, is true; but my happiest hours 

 have been spent among them. 



Auburn, Me., Aug. 22. 



DETERMINATION HALF THE BATTLE IN BEE- 

 KEEPING 



BY ALICE TRIPP 



I came to this country from Wales at an 

 early age, with four older brothers and five 

 sisters in the 70's. I had never eaten hon- 

 ey, nor had I ever seen a hive in my native 

 country. In fact, I was in America several 

 years before I saw a hive. But my brothers 

 cut down countless trees that contained 

 large quantities of honey, sometimes enough 

 to fill a tub. While I liked to eat the honey 

 I was always sorrj' that the industrious lit- 

 tle workers had to be killed in order that 

 we might get the honey. 



I was delighted, when learning about the 

 nse of hives, to find that the surplus honey 

 could be taken off for family use while the 

 bees sroied plenty in the bottom story for 

 their own reods. 



I resolved that, if I ever had a ho:re of 

 my own. 1 would own some hives full of 

 bees. 



But, alas! my better half could not b? 

 pursuaded nor coaxed to let me keep bees. 

 All is well that ends well, however. 



One day when my husband was sick in 

 bed I spied a new and strange-looking lump 

 hanging from the limb of a tree across the 

 road. Uj^on investigation I found it to be 

 a swarm of bees. In a very few minutes I 

 liad fixed a box with cross-bars in the cen- 

 ter. I mixed up some sugar and water, and 

 wet the cross-bars and part of the inside of 

 the box. I set the box on the gi'ound, and 

 spread out a sheet in front of it. I backed 

 the buggy under the limb, and with a hand- 

 saw cut off the limb and soon climbed out 

 of the buggy with my prize. I placed the 

 treasure gently on the sheet, close to the 

 box. In less than two minutes the bees with 

 the queen in the center were making a bee 

 line for that box. 



That was five j'ears ago. I still have my 

 box of bees. They are so docile that I don't 

 try to make them produce much surplus 

 lioney, but use them for increase. 



I now own 20 hives with movable frames. 

 Although onl}- nine are occupied, I hope to 

 have all full before 1914. I also have three 

 home-made hives containing bees, making 

 12 colonies at the begining of 1913. I have 

 had the misfortune to lose one colony near- 

 ly every winter. 



I once noticed a query as to how a woman 

 manages the heavy lifting. I admit that a 

 ten-frame hive full of honey is all I want 

 to tackle. I first pry^ the upper story very 

 slowly with two screwdrivers (having noth- 

 ing better) ; plant my feet in a good posi- 

 tion, take a firm hold and a good breath and 

 determine that I can lift it, and I always 

 succeed. There is a good deal in thinking 

 3"0U can and will. 



I extracted over nine gallons of honey 

 from one colony in 1912. That was mj' best 

 colony. Some came through the winter in 

 poor condition. I don't make the same mis- 

 take twice, for I am in the business to stay. 



Colo, Iowa. 



SUITABLE COSTUME FOR HIVING A SWARM 

 OF BEES 



BY MRS. G. W. PERSONS 



Last summer I hived a swarm of bees. 

 It was a little after-swarm — about a Cjuart 

 of bees, I think, that came out in July. It 

 hung on the limb of an almond tree all 

 night ; and the next morning, as my hus- 

 band was going to an out-apiaiy he asked 

 me to hive it about ten o'clock. 



I first got a hive and put tliree frames 

 containing full sheets of foundation and a 

 division-board in it. This I set in a cen- 

 ser ient place. Pv standing on a box and 

 reaching up as high as I could I finally 



