quite possible that they carry on their activities in practically the 
same way as they did thousands of years ago. It is true that bees 
may be induced to live in man-made hives, but these must conform 
quite generally to the bee’s instincts, or the bees will perish. - 
As man has gained knowledge of the bees’ normal activities and 
adapted them to his use, in just that proportion has he been able to 
derive profit from the bees. ' 
Since, then, profitable beekeeping is based upon turning to man's 
account the natural activities of the bees, the first part of this work 
will be devoted to a discussion of the bees when uninterfered with 
by man. In the latter half will be discussed methods of directing 
the activities of the bees so that they may prosper and produce a 
profit for their owner. (Fig. 1). 
Fig. 1. The annual returns from this New Jersey apiary are entirely satisfactory. 
LIFE HISTORY 
A knowledge of ihe activities of a normal colony of bees. both 
collectively and individually, is necessary for its profitable manage- 
ment. A hive occupied by bees is called a colony. 
A normal colony of bees consists of a series of parallel combs 
of wax with nearly hexagonal cells extending in opposite directions 
from a common base. These cells are slightly elevated at the mouth. 
The combs are suspended from above, spaced approximately 1 3/8 
inches from center to center and stocked with honey, pollen and in 
the breeding season with immature bees in all stages of their growth. 
8 
