St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-07-16
ulvALIDs WATCH THE BEES.
@es Constructed So as to Permit OBJ
servation of Their Interest
ing Operations.

l -
the nursery, the kindergarten, chill
dren's hospital CT convalescents
home. In fact, it is an ideal diversion
for 'shut-ins' Of whatever age or degree
Of bondage" says a writer in Country
Life in America. Il speak from expert
ence, and my enthusiasm reaches fevel
heat and almost takes away my power O.
expression as l realize the futility Of
mere words to describe the charm which
holds one spellbouId while watching the
almost endless variety of work going or
in the hive. The stately progress of the
queen as she carefully inspects each eel
before depositing an egg in it, closely at.
tended by band Of workers who feed
her and wait upon her assiduOusly, is
very interesting. Some of the bees hang
for hours in long strings (reminding one
of rope portieres) making wax. Others
are diligently shaping cells from the
completed product. Others bring in the
various bright-colored kinds of pollen
and pack it away in the cells. Some
bring in the nectar, and others evaporate
1t until it is of the right consistency
for sealing up in the form of honey.
The ventilation and temperature of the
hive also receive much attention from
the workers.
| "As l live on the fourth floor, and am
permanently unable to sit up at all OF
to have pillow under my head, unable
to see even the tree tops except as re-
| in To xyfv a
that pleasure, you can see how limited
must be my range of occupations, and
how eager am that others similarly cir
cumstanced may have this added to their
possibilities.
"A hive takes up but little space.
Mine had bottom board, or floor, about
four inches wide and two feet long. The
sides were glass, about ten inches high
and 10 inches long, just far enough apart
to give room for one sheet of honey
comb, with space enough for the bees to
work on both sides of 1T. e., perhaps
one and one-half inches clear on the in
side. The ends and top were of wood.
A board similar to the bottom board
above referred to, with an opening of
sufficient size for the projecting end of
the bottom to pass through, was fitted
across the windowsill and screwed down.
When the window was closed it rested
On this board, the hive was held secure
ly in place, and there was no opening for
the bees to get into the room. The en-
trance to the hive is hole in the floor
so arranged that one end is inside the
hive and the other end outside the
window,
1.-THE cost is moderate, as little ma
terial is required, and almost any man
who has few simple tools and mod
crate skill in using them can make one
in short time. Then sheet Of comb
with the necessary bees-the workers
and a csssa-which can readily be pro-
cured from any practical beekeeper.
completes the outfit.
IF one knows nothing about bees it
might be desirable to have an apiarist
inspect the hive occasionally, to see that
all is well. But I had mine an entire
summer without requiring expert atten-
ton. 1t is delightful to have bee
book to which you can refer for the cor
roboration of your discoveries With
such an opportunity to observe the in
terror life of the hive even helpless per-
son feels some of the joy of original re-
search. One soon learns to interpret the
various movements, though occasionally
some are decidedly perplexing.
Zone especial charm of this hive as an
Invalid's pastime' is that, ndtwithstand-
ing the varied and active life, so near
that it can be closely observed with
out the least physical effort, there is
absolutely no fear Of being ones self
molested; neither is there any noise or
confusion. Simply closing ones eyes
leaves one with no reminder of an out
side presence"