PREFACE 



THIS book has been prepared especially to meet 

 the needs of the beginner in bee-keeping. It is not 

 intended to be a complete treatise for the pro- 

 fessional apiarist, but rather a handbook for those 

 who would keep bees for happiness and honey, 

 and incidentally for money. It is hoped, too, that 

 it will serve as an introduction to the more extended 

 manuals already in the field. 



When we began bee-keeping we found the wide 

 range of information and varying methods given in 

 the manuals confusing; but a little experience taught 

 us that bee-keeping is a simple and delightful business 

 which can be carried on in a modest way without a 

 great amount of special training. After a beginning 

 has been made, skill in managing the bees is gained 

 naturally and inevitably, and interest is then stimu- 

 lated by the wider outlook which bewilders the 

 novice 1 . 



For the sake of simplicity this volume is restricted 

 to knowledge gained in practical experience in a 

 small apiary; and the writer has sought to exclude 

 from it those discussions which, however enlightening 

 to the experienced, are after all but devious digres- 

 sions from the simple and straight path which the 

 feet of the inexperienced must tread to success in 

 the apiary. 



