Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-06-07
SUCCESSFUL BEE CULTURE.

The little honey bee is, of course, a
very common institution in York coun'
ty. There is scarcely neighborhood
in which there are not q half dozen
or more colonies, and there are just
lots of people who know more or less
about how to manage them with sue.
cess but most readers of THE EN-.
oUIRER will no doubt be surprised to
know that York county has one of the
largest apiaries to be found in the
Piedmont section. Such is the fact,
however. This apiary is located at
Catawba Junction.
Mr.. H. G. Simpson, we'll informed,
we'll read gentleman, is the proprietor.
Mr.. Simpsons house fronts the Caro-.
lima and Georgia Extension railroad
and his bee hives, which sit on the
south side of hill to the rear, look
from the railroad like big cemetery
In fact, most passengers on the trains
take the apiary for cemetery, and they
do not know any better unless some Of
the trainmen, or others who know, in.
form them to the contrary.
Having heard from different people,
at different times, of the extent oi
Mr.. Simpsons establishment, and also
of his thorough knowledge Of the bee
and its habits, I went down to Cataw-
ba Junction last Saturday for the pur-
pose of getting material for a story
that will probably prove interesting to
a great many people. had the good
luck to find Mr.. Simpson at home, and
when I told him my business, he as
sured me that it would give him pleas
ure to show me everything that was to
be seen and to answer such questions
as might see fit to ask, provided he
knew how. This last proviso, how
ever, was unnecessary. Before I left,
I was convinced that he surely knows
about all that is not torn out of the
book, and that my principal disadvan.
tage was in not understanding the sub
ject sufficiently to admit of it's full
development through proper questions.
Taking his smoker-a little bellows
like arrangement, through which
smoke is projected with facility-Mr.
Simpson told me to follow close behind
him among the hives. He had no
gloves, veil or other protection, and
the proposition was cne that did not
relish particularly; but remembered
to have heard Mr.. w. J. Waters re-
mark once that Mr.. Simpson knew the
age of every bee on the hill and could
call it by name, l was inclined to re-
pose the fullest confidence in Mr..
Simpson. Lam now almost inclined
to believe Mr.. Waters's statement but
1 do not like to say so in print.
Opening up several hives, Mr.. Simp-
son showed the honey that was in
process of manufacture. He explain
ed that the bees have not done very
we'll this year, so far as surplus is con-
cerned. Only few combs have been
partially filled and only very small
per cent. of the honey cells have been
capped over. This, Mr.. Simpson says,
is on account of the unfavorable season.
After showing the surplus honey de-
partment of one of the hives, he went
into the brood department, moved and
took out several frames covered with
worker bees and drones, and finally To-
Gated the queen. 81 found her little
too late" he remarked. "If had
surprised her sooner, she would have
laid several eggs on my hand after l
picked her up. 1t is her business, you
know, to lay the eggs she keeps at it
continually, and that was what she
was doing when we found her." Then
holding up the comb to the light, where