19-2 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



of the honeybee witliout also becoming- in- 

 terested in plant life; for the life of the bee 

 is so intimately associated with that of the 

 flowering' i^lants, especially those that pro- 

 dnce honey and pollen, that the stndy of the 

 former enlarges into that of the latter. 



When weary with office cares and the ills 

 and woes of others, how quickly one forgets 

 himself and all else while manipulating the 

 busy bees and studying the many wonders 

 of the hive. So absorbing are their activi- 

 ties that one gains thorough relaxation, and 

 returns to his work refreshed through this 

 relaxation, and exhilarated by the enthu- 

 siasm which bee culture inspires. I have 

 found the subject of beekeeping very fascin- 



ating, and an ever increasing interest seems 

 to accompany its study. It seems to be 

 specially suitable for professional folks, 

 because the work connected with it can be 

 performed at odd times, and does not need 

 constant attention. If one must be away 

 for some time the bees move quietly about 

 their duties, regardless of our absence. 



The subject of beekeeping is not all writ- 

 ten as yet. New problems and new condi- 

 tions are continually arising, and many 

 surprises are in store for the apiarist. All 

 in all, the student will find it a fascinating 

 study, and much recreation and relaxation 

 in it from office toil. 



Helena, Mont. 



BEEKEEPING IN THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD 



BV D. M. ilAf'DOXALD 



Perhaps London is about the last place in 

 the world in which successful beekeeping 

 might be looked for; yet it is an undoubted 

 fact that, within a few miles of the very 

 center of the city, it has been made to pay. 

 I have seen small ajiiaries on the flat roofs 

 of buildings, one in a beehouse, and several 

 in observatory hives fixed in windows, and 

 I have been informed of scores of apiaries 

 all over the metropolis. 



In some respects London is the Mecca of 

 beekeeping in the British Isles. A very 

 large proportion of the honey grown finds 

 its way to its markets. Our leading appli- 

 ance manufacturers and dealers are located 

 there. Our monthly and weekly bee journals 

 are published there. Three of the leading 

 shows are held within its boundaries — the 

 dairy, the gToeers', and the confectioners'. 

 To these all the best samples of honey whicli 

 have stood first at local and county shows 

 gravitate as a natural center for final adju- 

 dication. Our new Government Apiary ai'<l 

 Lecture Rooms, carried on under tlie Devel- 

 opment Grant, are located at the Zoological 

 Gardens, Regent's Park. The British Bee- 

 keepers' Association has its library, reading 

 room, and offices in the Strand, where all 

 the business is transacted, and there country 

 visitors interested in apiculture call, when in 

 the capital, to talk bees. 



No large apiaries exist within the metro- 

 politan area, but countless small ones are 

 carried on for either pleasure or profit. A 

 single hive may, under exceptionally favor- 

 able circumstances, yield from 100 lbs. \\p- 

 ward, and I am able to cite one case where 

 180 finished sections were obtained, and sold 

 for 24 cts. each, thus yielding a return of 

 $43.75. It is more interesting still to learn 

 thnt I'ight in London, only VA/o miles from 



Oxford Street, a fair-sized apiary can be 

 carried on over a series of years, and that it 

 can be made to pay. One beekeeper with 

 two hives had a total I'eturn of all but 1000 

 lbs. in eleven years, and he would have ex- 

 ceeded it but that in the last two years he 

 had foul brood. He had an average of 51 

 lbs., leaving out this period. On three occa- 

 sions he had 100 lbs. surplus. 



Mr. Baden-Powell keeps bees at Hyde 

 Park Corner, in the very heart of London, 

 and they not only keep themselves, but se- 

 cure some surplus. Some of the hives over 

 the metropolitan area are of the observatory 

 type, and are kept in the drawing-room 

 window Avhere they are a center of interest 

 to the lady owner as well as to numerous 

 visitors, who very much enjoy seeing the 

 bees and their wonderful works. 



Bee lectures are frequently given in va- 

 rious parks in the metropolis, and of late 

 tlie cinem.alograph has been considerably 

 utilized to spiead a knowledge of bees (and, 

 incidentally, of honey) in places where the 

 bee and its product were perhaps never 

 before heard of. Recently 2000 children from 

 twenty metropolitan elementary scliools 

 came with their teachers, in batches of about 

 fifty, and had half-hour lessons on the bee 

 The observatory hives shown proved in- 

 tensely interesting. Seeing the queen was a 

 delight; obsei'ving the bees' tongues sipping 

 up syrup was much enjoyed, and hearinc' 

 of that man-elous Aveapon the sting proved 

 very fascinating to the youngsters. The 

 Telegraph and the Daily Mail, two of Lon- 

 don's leading dailies, devoted a large amount 

 of space to bees and beekeeping a year or 

 two ago. They even kept hives on the roofs 

 of their offices, in the very center of the 

 city, and issued daily bulletins in the season 



