Apr. 15, 1912 



smoker, but no one could have been more 

 completely covered and protected. Two 

 thicknesses of mosquito netting around our 

 faces, heavy coats and trousers with sleeves 

 and legs tied down, and with thick hoghide 

 gloves to protect our hands — even with such 

 protection I am afraid I stood quite a dis- 

 tance away when the cover was removed; 

 but after my brother had taken out a couple 

 of frames without serious results I became 

 more bold, and was soon us much interested 

 in the work going on inside the hive as he. 

 It was about three weeks since the swarm 

 had been hived. The amount of work they 

 had done was surprising; but the most in- 

 teresting of all was to see with our own eyes 

 the eggs, young bees, pollen, the life, the 

 hustle, and other things that had before 

 been pictured only in our mind's eye or on 

 the pages of a bee book. This one glimpse 

 of the workings of the bees inside their home 

 more than repaid us for our work and the 

 cost of the hive, but it did not stop there by 

 by any means. 



Having survived to tell of one manipula- 

 tion we found it a less hazardous undertak- 

 ing to make the second, and it became in- 

 creasingly less each time. 



We found the heavy coats, trousers, and 

 gloves unnecessary. A piece of netting was 

 used over our heads so that an occasional 

 jab might not make us unpresentable for 

 Sunday-school — that was all. On the sec- 

 ond examination we were fortunate enough 

 to get a glimpse of the queen; and after that 

 we found the hitherto unbelievable feat of 

 locating the queen not dillicult it all. 



In the fall, when we removed the upper 

 story or super from that hive we had 24 sec- 

 tions of honey each, filled clear out to the 

 edge. This wasn't like the yields v/e had 

 read about, but we were pleased with it nev- 

 ertheless. And, besides, it paid for our hive. 

 We gave away four sections, and sold the 

 rest for S3. 50. Our hive, together with ex- 

 pressage, cost $3.25, so we gained 25 cents 

 and some experience besides. The box hive 

 gave us about 6 pounds of surplus honey. 

 This was consumed at home. Altogether 

 the year's experience strengthened our thirst 

 for more knowledge on beekeeping lines, and 

 demonstrated to our comjplete satisfaction 

 the great advantage of having bees in frame 

 hives rather than in the old-fashioned box 

 hives. 



The next year, 1910, we purchased in the 

 spring five l>2-story hi\ es in the Hat; smok- 

 er, bee escape, and one Italian queen. This 

 was followed in the fall by five more 1>2- 

 story hives, 100 sections, and 5 supers for 

 use in 1!»11. All were paid for, however, in 

 liilO, making a total of $32.75 spent in bee 

 supplies. The lessons we learned in bee- 

 keeping were valuable, and I presume they 

 were practically the same as are common to 

 every beginner. The fall inventory showed 

 that we had six colonies of bees in frame 

 hives (one of these Italians), and two in 

 box hives The honey yield, due to many 

 causes, chief of which was our own blunder- 

 ing, was only 50 pounds. The highest from 



247 



any colony was 24 sections. We sold 41 

 sections and received $7.17. This reduced 

 our indebtedness to $25.58, and we had five 

 empty hives and sixteen supers for use the 

 next season. 



This year, 1911, was really the most inter- 

 esting of all. Having an opportunity to se- 

 cure seven colonies of bees in box hives at 

 $1.00 each w'e bought and actually transfer- 

 red the bees from five of them to frame hives. 

 We managed it so successfully that I no 

 longer harbor any doubts as to the truthful- 

 ness of the statements Dr. Lyon made. 



We had but one swarm, and that was in 

 late summer, and was caused by not giving 

 our Italian colony enough room. The queen 

 we had purchased left with almost all the 

 bees, and could not be located. It was a big 

 loss, for we were expecting much from that 

 colony; and its work earlier in the season 

 justified our expectations. But, like many 

 other experiences, it was heeded to teach a 

 lesson. The superior work of that one Ital- 

 ian colony, together with their [gentleness, 

 induced us to get more Italian queens. 

 Eight were bought and introduced, but not 

 all successfully. There were many experi- 

 ments and blunders throughout the entire 

 season, but in spite of the blunders we had 

 honey too. One of our Italian colonies with 

 a queen which was introduced in .luly gave 

 a surplus of 75 pounds. With that as a 

 starter we feel as though we might be able 

 with more experience to get yields some 

 time that will at least half way approach 

 some of those we have read about. 



Our expense this season for queens, box 

 hives, and incidentals, was $18.78, which, 

 added to our indebtedness of $25.58, left from 

 1911, made $44.36. Our sales of honey and 

 beeswax sold direct to consumers amounted 

 to $57.00. This leaves a balance of $12.24 in 

 money; and a present inventory shows that 

 we have 11 colonies of bees in frame hives, 

 9 of them Italians; 3 colonies in box hives; 

 all, with the exception of one box hive, go- 

 ing into wiriter in good shape, besides 16 su- 

 pers, several sections, smoker, hive tools, 

 etc., that have all been bought and paid for 

 by the bees themselves. 



No estimate can be placed on the value of 

 work and study with the bees. It has all 

 been done at odd times; and, speaking for 

 myself, I can say that it has been a means of 

 recreation and rest from the hustle and hur- 

 ry that is essentially a part of every truck 

 farm. For my brother in school it gives 

 just the one thing needed to keep up an in- 

 terest in things outside the schoolroom; and 

 w'ho knows but the bees may do their full 

 share in paying his way through college? 

 Stranger things have happened. However 

 that may be, we have both developed a case 

 of bee fever that refuses to be cured; and if 

 we plan better things for the future it is be- 

 cause we have much faith in that future. 



Swedesboro, N. J. 



Pyrox fills the barrel with the apples that used to 

 be on top. Write howkkb Insecticide Co., Boston, 

 for book. 



