The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-16
MAKE HONEY IN A PANTRY.
Colorado Bees Keep a Family Sup
piled with Sweets.
From the Denver News.


When Mr.. and Mrs. H. F. Hagen
of COL High street wish to have fresh
honey on their table, or when they de-
sire to serve it to their friends, as
they often do, they simply turn on the
electric light in the pantry, mount a
short stepladder and from inside a
small cupboard cut away great chunks
of fresh comb filled with veritable nee
tar so fresh and fine favored is It.
Very often the honey they cut away
will have been made that very day
by the thousands of bees swarming
constantly in the little cupboard.
Two bee hives in their pantry is the
novelty of the pretty Hagen home out
in Hartman. Mr.. Hagen is one of the
pioneer beekeepers of the state. He
opened the bee industry in the Arkan-
Sas valley in the early COS and ever
since then has had more or less to do
with bees. Last year, at the corner
of Fourth and High streets, he had
100 colonies and marketed nearly 1000
pounds of honey. In the meantime he
built several pretty residences in the
vicinity, among them his own home.
Having experimental extensively with
bees, and perhaps because he likes to
have them constantly about, he con-
ceived the idea of having fresh honey
constantly within reach.
So, at the further end of the pantry,
on a level with the two top shelves,
he made mouseproof little cupboard,
with a 1Dor plenty large enough for
him to reach in his head and Shout
ders. Therein he placed the founda-
lions of two hives with some brooding
wax. He did not use any wax for the
honey cells, preferring that the bees
in his pantry should build their honey
combs as they themselves should wish.
Two colonies of bees were installed IN
the cupboard and two narrow aper-
lures in the house wall permit the
bees to go out and in at will. These
doorways to the cupboard bee hives
are narrow bits between the bricks.
They are on the north side of the
house, and, as the walls are fully
twelve inches thick, the bees have a
pretty even temperature all the year
round.
Yesterday the bees, at least 10000 in
each colony, remained indoors because
of the cold weather. All winter, how
ever, on warm, sunny days, they
scour the country for miles for some
of the substance that goes to make
honey.
In the cupboard at this time there
is at least $50 pounds of the delicious
product And an almost artistic ar
rangement of the combs has resulted
from the indulgence of their taste in
architecture. Usually bees begin at
the top and build down. but these bees
have worked up, and in two of the
corners of the cupboard rise snowy
piles of wax, Veritable mountain
range effect resulting. The cells are
overfiowing with honey. There are
very few drone cells. which fact adds
to the value of the two colonies.
The house with the beehive cup
board has attracted much attention
from people interested in bees. During
the horticultural convention last week
the visitors to the Hagen home were
many, and scarcely a day passes that
someone does not call and ask permits
sion to climb UP the little ladder and
inspect the bees and their work.
1t goes without saying that Mrs.
Hagen's pantry is a marvel of neat
ness. Mr.. Hagen, with his wife's as
sistance, conducts the largest manu-
factory west of the Mississippi until
California is reached, for the making
of the Weed process comb foundation.
The plant is now established in the
back yard of the Hagen home and
has a daily capacity of 1000 pounds of
pure wax comb.