Evening star., 1901-09-14
KEEPING BEES m THE CITY
ONE SUCCESSFUL APKARY ON TOP OF
BUSINESS HOUSE.
Large Profits Possible From Small
Outiays-New Ideas i'm the Manu-
facture of Honey.
Written for The Evening Star.

facture of Honey.
Written for The Evening Star,
The Scriptures assure US at divers times
and in sundry places that honey is a whole
some and pleasant food, and an ancient
dietetic dogmatist who lived in the wise
old days of Plato and Socrates went fur
ther and declared that olive oil for the ex-
terror and honey for the interior decoration
of the human form divine covered the
whole philosophy of physical well being
The tiny insects, scarcely bigger than
flies, who make this delectable sweet have
from time immemorial afforded a most fas-
cinating study to all nature lovers. In the
guise of a limited monarchy they maintain
an ideal republic, and conduct their affairs
with marvellous methods which, even in
these days of patent hives and manufac-
tured comb, awakens as much awe and
admiration when in the patriarchal
times they conducted abiding colonies
in the carcass of lion.
The new woman should find especial
pleasure in keeping bees, for in their COM
munties petticoat government is supreme.
Not only is the highest office filled by one
of the gentler sex, but on the approa ch- of
winter a sufficiently populous hive will kill
off all the unfortunate fathers of their
country who have dawdled idly through the
summer, leaving the colony entirely man
less.
For this supremacy in matters OF state,
however, these AmaZons pay the high price
of life of unremitting toll. Even the
queen has no sinecure, for during the work
ing season she lays daily from two to four
thousand eggs. 1t is curious to note, more
over, that in spite of the dominating sex,
bee affairs are conducted with a singular
lack of sentimentality, not to say an almost
ruthless materialism. Not only do the
workers kill the masculine drones to safe
guard the winter stores, but the queen as
well makes wholesale slaughter of all rival
queens.
No less an authority than the United
States Department of Agriculture is re-
sponsible for the statement that bees may
be kept profitably even in great crowded
Cities One large apiarist annually moves
his bees from the country to Washington,
a distance of ten miles, in order to gather
in the rich harvest of honey furnished by
the linden trees and the shrubs of the
citys parks and lawns. Indeed, one of the
largest yields of honey on record, forty
three pounds in three days. was obtained
entirely from linden trees
Instances also given of a successful
apiary on the roof of New York business
house: and of one in the heart of Cincin-
natl, whose forty colonies produce annual
ly about one thousand pounds of honey
These industrious little insects will travel
a distance of several miles and gather
honey all the day not only from every
opening flower, but also from trees, shrubs
associate with so delicate product. Golden
rod and asters often give a large yield in
the late fail, after all other honey plants
fail. Any woman, therefore, who lives
tiny agricultural experiment station of fer
own, and, if she is lucky, may provide
honey for her family and no inconsiderable
entertainment for herself.
ParaphernaIia Required.
To begin with, one needs a good book
about bees, then a hive of good bees, veil,
gloves and smoker, all of which may be
obtained at any bee supply store. The rest
is all experience. The danger from singing
is greatly exaggerated. An apiarist who
understands his bees as a jockey does his
horse has little to fear In fine weather,
when gold is pouring into the Golfers of the
hive the bees are usually; III good temper
and may be approached with impunlty. In
wet weather, however, when work is at a
standstill and the bees are forced to loaf
about the hive, they are apt to be ill-tem-
pered and quarrelsome, and it Is the part
of prudence to keep at a distance till sun
shine and the consequent wave or pros
perity restores harmony. When they are
angry, the hum of the bees takes high,
ominous note, which an experienced bee
keeper recognizes at once and respects.
Comb honey sells for ~ or 13 cents
pound wholesale and cents pound more
at retail, while extracted honey is several
cents a pound cheaper. This is accounted
for by the fact that 1t takes q great deal
of honey to make very little comb. bee
makes wax by gorging herself with honey
and hanging herself to the top of the hive
until tiny scales of wax form on her body.
The beekeeper simply uncaps the honey
combs, extracts the honey and returns the
empty combs to the hive, leaving the bees
free to store away honey instead of manu-
featuring comb.
What OUTFIT Costs.
An entire bee outfit costs from Sc to $40,
and If one were to have the worst possi-
BILE luck, the loss of all the bees, 81 or So
would replace them, while an unusually
good season might show enough surplus
honey to pay the entire first cost. By be-
ginning in a very small way and making
haste slowly one runs but little risk and
the venture may prove very profitable.
A deaf and dumb woman in New York
state, debarred from most other oppor-
tunities of earning a living, bought hive
of bees some years ago to try her for
tune. She Is now successful beekeeper
with a large apiary and a very snug in
come. Whether agriculture is taken up for
food or for fad, it has much to recon-
mend it as an occupation or recreation for
women.