14 THB bbe-keepbr's guide ; 



any time of the day or week, and thus not interfere with the 

 regular business. Thus residents of country, village or city, 

 male or female, who enjoy the society and study of natural 

 objects, and wish to add to their income and pleasure, will find 

 here an ever waiting opportunity. 



WHO SHOULD NOT KEEP BEES. 



There are occasionally persons to whom the venom of the 

 bee is a serious poison. If such persons are stung anywhere 

 their eyes swell so they can not see, the skin blotches, and 

 serious irritation is felt over the entire body. Such persons 

 are often overcome with fever for several days, and, though 

 very rarely, the sting sometimes proves fatal. It goes without 

 saying that such persons should not keep bees. 



It is a well known fact that the sting of the honey-bee 

 becomes less and less poisonous the more one is stung. The 

 system becomes inoculated against the poison. My own ex- 

 perience proves this most conclusively. Every bee-keeper will 

 receive occasional stings, but these become more and more 

 rare, and soon occasion neither fear nor anxiety. 



INDUCEMENTS TO BEE-KEEPING. 



RECREATION. 



I name this first, as it was the pleasure in store that led me 

 to the art of keeping bees, though I was terribly afraid of bees 

 at the beginning. There is a rare fascination in the study of 

 nature. Insect life is ever presenting the most pleasurable 

 surprises to those who study it. Bees, from their wonderful 

 instincts, curious structure and habits, and the interesting 

 relations which they sustain to vegetable life, are most fasci- 

 nating objects of study. The observant and appreciative bee- 

 keeper is ever the witness of exhibitions that incite wonder 

 and admiration. This is why bee-keepers are always enthusi- 

 asts. I know of no class of laborers who dwell more fondly on 

 their work and business than do bee-keepers. A thorough 

 study of the marvelous economy of the honey-bee must, from 

 its very nature, bring delight and admiration. A farmer once 

 said to me, " Were it not for the generous profits of the busi- 

 ness, I would still keep bees for the real pleasure I receive in 



