220 



SCIENCE OF HOME AND COMMUNITY 



MONTHLY FINANCIAL ACCOUNT 



BEEKEEPING 



Keeping bees is another of those home activities which 

 one may undertake on a small scale for the triple purpose of 

 furnishing the tables with a fresh supply of wholesome food, 

 of securing some financial return, and of finding a source of 

 wholesome recreation in studying the wonderful life of those 

 insects. The number of hives kept should be determined 

 by the conditions, but it is wise for the inexperienced to 

 make a small beginning. From caring for one hive for a 

 season, one may secure the experience needed to care for a 

 larger number the following season. 



Kinds of bees in colony. Honey bees have been cared 

 for by men for centuries for the honey and wax they produce. 

 Some of these colonies have escaped from hives and are 

 now found wild, making their homes in hollow trees. These 

 bees illustrate the high type of development made possible 

 through instinct. Honey bees are social insects; that is, 

 a large number live together in a community, each bee 

 having a work to perform for the benefit of the whole colony. 

 Three kinds of individuals are found in a hive : one queen, 

 several hundred drones, and from fifteen to thirty thousand 

 workers. The queen lays the eggs, some of which are 

 fertilized by the drones; and upon the workers fall all the 

 other tasks of the colony. 



Combs. The combs are made of wax, which the bees 

 form into six-sided cells. This wax is secreted by some of 

 the workers, which gorge themselves with honey and then 



