30 BEEKEEPING IX THE SOUTH 



Start in Spring. 



The best time to start with bees is in the Spring of the year. 

 Then the bees have the full season to build up in, to prepare 

 themselves against the rigors of cold weather, and to return to 

 you something for the labors of caring for them. 



It is impossible to fully guide the beginner in these columns, 

 as the space is limited. Secure from the United States Bee Cul- 

 ture Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 

 one of their free bulletins on bees and learn to recognize the 

 different parts of a hive and the hive inmates. Study the dia- 

 gram at the beginning of this chapter. If one wishes to invest in 

 a bee book, all right. The trouble with many bee books is that 

 they give too many different plans for the same work and go 

 into such varied details that the beginner is lost in the maze 

 and knows not where to start. The government bulletins make 

 excellent text books, since they treat of but one topic at a time. 

 By all means one should subscribe to one or more of the bee 

 journals, since this tends to keep one flush with bee lore, and 

 abreast of the times on beekeeping topics and methods. Never 

 make the mistake of buying a lot of bees before you have learned 

 the essentials of beekeeping. Failure is as certain as death in 

 that case. 



Beginner's Needs Are Simple. 



The needs of a beginner are rather simple, depending largely 

 on the scale which marks the beginning. No beginner should 

 attempt to handle bees without a bee veil, which protects the 

 face from stings. The more timid may also buy bee gloves to 

 protect the hands. A smoker is an absolute necessity in every 

 apiary, be you professional or beginner. Bees are smoked before 

 handling, by driving a puff or two of smoke from rags or waste, 

 into the hive entrance. When the cover is removed, a few more 

 puffs to the tops of the frames follow. This makes the bees 

 rush to fill themselves with honey and to forget the intruder, 

 when they may be handled without stings, if care is used. Every 

 beekeeper gets stung sometimes. Careful beekeepers seldom get 



