SOME FIRST CONSIDERATIONS. 
CHAPTER, I. 
Many a schoolboy is keeping bees. 
There are some general, practi- 
cal considerations that the begin- 
ner needs to take into account be- 
fore crossing the threshold of bee- 
keeping, which may quite largely 
predetermine his attitude toward 
beekeeping, as to making it a pro- 
fession or a side line or merely a 
pleasurable avocation. 
Who Can Succeed with Bees. 
Beekeeping is an occupation for 
old or young, rich or poor, men or 
women. It is for the professional 
man or woman, tired and worn 
with office work; and it is also for 
the vigorous man in his prime who 
seeks profit and pleasure alike from 
its pursuit. Any person with fair health and strength or who can attain 
fair health and strength by outdoor work, who is fairly studious and en- 
dowed with some patience.and some love of nature, may very reasonably 
hope to become successful as a beekeeper. But the greater and wider the 
beekeeper’s intelligence and powers of observation, the greater his success 
will be. 
Accordingly, he should’ be a reader of bee lore and natural his- 
tory. Patience, persistence in fighting adverse cireumstances, promptness 
in doing the right thing at the right 
time, and foresight are among the 
. traits most necessary for successful 
beekeeping. It is not a business for 
the careless, the disorderly, nor for the 
lazy person. Successful beekeeping 
means work both for the brain and 
the hands. The very few persons who 
may despair of becoming good beekeep- 
ers are such as are hopelessly careless ; 
those who have but little patience, and 
little or no love for the great outdoors; 
and the very few who are seriously af- 
fected by the poison of bee-stings and 
stand in constant dread of them. The 
normal person, with a little care, can 
avoid stings almést entirely and need 
have no fear of them. (See page 49.) 
5 
Even little kiddies can enjoy bees. 
