New-York tribune., 1906-12-23
Experiences of LectNrine
Apiarist Who Takes a
Hive on Tour.
BY Edward Il. Bigeiow.

YET desired 10 be sensational and to attract a
crowd i might advertise my collection as THE
biggest Travelling Mensgerie on Earth dn
numbers) and might with equal exactness call
:, .arhe Smallest Travelling Menaserie on
par,h'' 6n size) for il is carried in dress SUIT
case. ,..,,
,en thousand individual animal lives. and with
s,Tb have travelled for about ten thousand miles
In br;ef 10 assist in my nature study work
ans lectures in various parts Of the Uniteo
States have taken with me a fun frame OF
honey bees. shaking in al the start some eAu@
ones and have carried the whole IN hiNe
body" that I specially designed for the purpose
with the addition OF a specially planned poN 10
contain two full sections Of honeycomb' eacn
measuring four inches by five. Such box for
sections the apiarist calls a super. ana on the
regular home hive there are tWenty-elgh' SUN
.,v,es .hir4y-tvo sections. that my collection
,o,glt claim 20 he another smallest menagerie'
Cor the super is the smallest in existence.
vet small as II is it exhibits the entire process
OF sgrpl,ls honey storage. so what 90 care X
r. veteran apiarist does occasionally come 10 my
lecture table and say. shouldn't thlnk your
super is large enough TO be practical. IL is
large enough 10 practise all want to show ana
fully large enough 10 carry. So is the hive III
takes a fun frame, and it is an advantage 10
,,.,-a only one for then the interesting queen
can,o+ easily conceal herself. The observer Is
sure 10 find her on side or the other OF the
frame especially when there IS a crowd Oh
-young folks pushing and jostling in thelr eager
ness 10 see THE queen" each one ready 10 shoui'
-'rhere she is." as soon as she steps out from a
mass Of bees far enough TO be seen clearly WIN
ner attendants arranged around her. like the
smokes OF a wheel. their heads almost touchlns
her and their antennB constantly but respect
fully and deferentially stroking and patting her.
The practical apiarist, who speaks from
rractical point of view and thinks OF hnanciai
returns often refers TO the Interest that centres
an the queen" without fully realizing the fun
meaning of the words. Il want to see the
uueen" where's the queen?" What does the
Queen look like" are samples Of the many ex-
cited inquiries OF Dung and old, as soon as me
lateral pa nels Of the hive are removed
II is essential that I take a queen in the prime
,f her productivity. for she must be an egg pro-
sduoer and keep the hive Well supplied, not only
With worker bees but with brood" in all stages.
from that of the tiny. white, crescentic egg at
The bottom Of the cell 10 the fully matured
dweuer within the capped cell from which 1t
rusbes the cover in the presence OF the en-
4ranced spectator who invountarily shouts
sThere's another bee Matching out
I have somewhere read that a certain noble
lord Of England. expert apiarist, and known
20 be q personal friend Of Queen Victoria, when
he was about to send valuable queen bee to
a fellow apiarist in some small and obscure
hamlet, telegraphed in these words to the bee
man: queen will arrive or O'Clock express
Receive her at station without delay"
Though this Telegram was sent not much in
advance Of the shipment. the time was sufficient
sor the operator at the delivering station TO con-
fde 10 a friend that Her Majesty the Queen was
TO arrive at o'clock, and the friend, Of course,
told the news as a secret to another, and there
were 50 many intimate friends that when the
lord apiarist arrived the station to receive the
bee without delay he found congregated there
nearly every resident of the hamlet, every one
of them even more desirous than he to "see the
Queen