Beekeeping as an Occupation 



15 



observation and finally promptness in doing what is 

 necessary. 



Instead then of being an occupation fitted for everyone, 

 beekeeping is well fitted only to the minority. The array 

 of himaan excellences here enumerated are not all necessarily 

 present in perfection, but the nearer the approach of these 

 qualities to that happy state, the more satisfactory will 

 beekeeping be found as a vocation or avocation. It is to 

 be hoped that these formidable requirements will not deter 

 the potential bee-crank from making a beginning. 



Beekeeping for women. 



A question much discussed in books and journals on bees 

 is that of beekeeping for women. Many women can and do 

 handle bees (Fig. 14) 

 with marked success. 

 In those parts of the 

 business which require 

 delicacy of touch and 

 minute attention, such 

 as queen-rearing, 

 women often surpass 

 men in proficiency. As 

 amateur beekeepers 

 they are at home. The 

 question which usually 

 presents itself, however, 

 is whether beekeeping 

 is suitable for women 

 as a means of earning 

 a livelihood and re- 

 peatedly has the writer 

 been asked for advice 

 on this subject. Professional beekeeping on a scale 

 sufficiently large to supply an adequate income requires 

 long hours of work in the hot sun, heavy lifting and 

 unremitting physical endurance. On a small scale these 



Fig. 14. — A woman beekeeper. 



