No avocation for girls requires so much skill and coolness, excites so much enthusiasm, or produces such admirable results, as the charge of honey-bees. It demands a clear head, courage, steadiness, and forethought during a small portion of the year. Yet young women have, within a few years, been very successful in this industry.

If our maiden decides to attempt this pursuit, she must first study thoroughly the habits of this remarkable insect, and as early as March procure, say, two hives as a beginning of the pattern called the"Simplicity hive."This is a simple box, having movable frames within. On peeping under the cover, we see bees clustered in a bunch on the comb in the centre, quiet, and almost torpid. There they spend the cold months, keeping warm by their bodily heat, and doubtless dreaming of their beloved sunshine and flowers.

The close observations of bee-lovers have found, that in every colony there is one reigning queen, mother of all the race of bees, so numerous and so short-lived. There are in a hive from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand at least, and their little lives never extend over seven months; during working-season, not over thirty or fifty days. The hive contains but one queen. She is a long, handsome insect, never leaving the hive but once, and that just before she begins laying, when about five days old. From that time till her death, she industriously lays her little eggs, not much larger than the point of a pin, each in the centre of the prepared brood-cell. Some of these cells are larger than others. Those are called drone-cells; and the bees from them are drones, which have not tongues long enough to gather honey, but are simply gentlemen of leisure. They are larger than the workers, and look like a large fly. In the fall they are always killed off by the working-bees : so there are none till the queen has laid in the spring. It is an object of the bee-keeper not to have too many of them : so he only lets a little drone-comb stay in the hive. The smaller worker-cells are much more numerous.

The eggs hatch in three days after they are laid, giving very small white worms, which are fed by the young bees, and grow very rapidly; so that in seven days they nearly fill their cells. Then they are sealed over with wax to undergo a wonderful change. At the end of eleven days the young worker-bee gnaws open his prison-lid, and for a few days spends his time in eating, and feeding the younger brood of larvae, as these worms are named. The drones remain sealed three days longer.

The process of queen-rearing is very curious. The larvae for intended sovereigns are fed with a substance especially prepared, called"royal jelly."Its cell is enlarged to the size of a peanut, which it closely resembles. It is sealed in the manner described, but hatches in six days. A queen-cell, however, is never started, unless the hive is so full that the bees desire to send out a new colony, or the queen shows signs of failing vigor, or is accidentally destroyed. In that case, if the little fellows have eggs on hand, they are all right. They make several queen-cells at once, so as to be sure to have one, at least, feed the larvae on royal jelly, and are rewarded by one or more young sovereigns, the eldest of whom tries to destroy the others. If they are not needed, she succeeds.

Meanwhile the working-bees do all the work. They build comb (dozens of them working on one cell at a time), collect pollen and honey, keep the hive clean, take care of the cells, and protect the queen. Every bit of refuse and all dead bees, they drag from the hive. Always active, their energy and industry quicken with the increase of flowers, until they seem fairly wild with the excess of sweets, and tumble over each other in their hurry to go and come laden with their stores. In fact, they are masters of the situation, and govern the hive.

During the first two months of spring they are incessantly at work, gathering pollen and honey in order to stimulate breeding, and increase the number of workers. When they get full to overflowing, they start queen-cells, .which they prevent the old queen from destroying, and force her to leave the hive with a lot of followers. This is called "swarming."Some bee-keepers have a method of dividing bees when the hive is full, styled"artificial swarming."They put part of the bees in a new hive, and give them a queen-cell, or a young queen. Others allow them to swarm at least once, keeping back further swarming by cutting out queen-cells when formed, and by extracting their honey. This is one of many reasons why the old box-hives are no longer used, but hives with movable frames adopted. These enable the apiarist to handle his bees as he pleases, to examine their work, and judge of their condition. A wonderful impetus has also been made in the invention of a machine which takes a cake of wax, stamps it out thin, and marks its surface with just the shape and size of a honeycomb. This"foundation" is then fastened into frames hung in the hives ; and the insects draw out from it, and build it up into perfect cells. By this means they are saved much labor, as they can make twenty-five pounds of honey in the time it would require to make one pound of wax.

In June, the swarming-season, our maiden is prepared with empty hives, each containing six frames of comb-foundation, into which is put the new swarm.

In two or three days, on examination, these frames will be found built up full of comb, when the hive must be filled with others. It will then go on its peaceful way during the rest of the summer.

But our young amateur will first need some experienced person to assist at the critical period of swarming. The seceders issue forth with a great roar and commotion, and soon alight on some shrub or tree, where they hang like a great wasp-nest. The queen is always carefully cherished and protected, and they never leave the parent hive without her. Having filled themselves with honey before leaving, they are good-natured, and can be handled without fear. Generally the new hive can be placed under the clustered bees, which are to be gently brushed into it, and the hive carried to its permanent stand.

In a short time the parent hive rapidly increases its occupants, after which the apiarist puts on a second story, filled with small boxes called "section-boxes,"each having fastened within a piece of foundation termed"the starter."This induces the bees to go readily to work. As these are filled and sealed up, they are taken out, and replaced by others. In this way comb-honey is produced.

Honey contained in the broad chamber (the main part of the hive) is taken from the comb by a machine called the"extractor,"at the pleasure of the apiarist, and the comb, undisturbed in its frame, returned to the hive.

Early in October preparations should be made for wintering. Each hive ought to contain at least twenty-five pounds of honey for food during the cold months, and a good stock of September-hatched bees. Hives constructed as described need more protection than those made by the old method. The experience of the most skilful apiarists has decided, that, in the latitude of Philadelphia and New York, the best way is to enclose them on their summer stands with outside boxes, and fill in the two-inch spaces on all sides with sawdust or chaff. The tops, also, have chaff-cushions for covers; and water-tight wooden roofs crown the whole, while the entrances are kept open, but reduced in size.

This protection is not removed until settled warm weather. Heat is necessary to the rearing of the brood, and working of the comb: indeed, these tropical little creatures are true sun-worshippers, and very sensitive to cold.

Their first spring-work is gathering pollen, from the soft maple and willow, for their young, which, in a strong hive, are hatched every month, more or less ; a good queen sometimes laying the extraordinary number of three thousand eggs per day. Small as these interesting little insects are, in spite of their numbers, it is wonderful how much of the distilled juices of flowers they are able to secure. The yield of honey from each hive, under the care of able bee-keepers, is estimated to average one hundred pounds : more than five times that amount is sometimes recorded. The beautiful Italian bee, with its dress of gold and brown, and its quiet habits, is of all others most easily managed.

After all, the success of the apiarist consists in doing the right things at the right time as well as in season, in being tranquil, and working with the utmost gentleness. Under this care, bees rarely sting.

A hive of Italian bees can be bought for ten dollars. The implements necessary can be obtained at numerous manufactories, prices varying according to the extent of outfit: to begin with, they will equal the cost of the hive. During the last few years the greatest improvements have been made in every thing connected with the apiary, as increased knowledge of the habits of this exquisitely endowed insect has been obtained.

It is a great and growing industry, which depends upon the bee as a storer of sweets; and no brief chapters can do more than indicate its fascination, by glancing at its more important features. It has already a vast literature and a wide following, among whom, it is pleasant to record, are many women.

Average profits of bee-keeping.

Dr. To one hive of Italian bees.............$10.00

Cr.

By 100 lbs. of extracted and comb honey, averaging .20 per lb. . $20.00 Profit on one hive.................$10.00

From this must be taken a proportion of the expenses advanced at the beginning. These are implements, such as a bee-veil, gloves, smoker, honey-knife, etc., in all, about five dollars; also a honey-extractor, a most curious and convenient invention, by which the comb is returned to the hive to be used again. This can be procured for eight dollars. Then there is a house or shed in which these tools are stored, and work done for and with frames and hives.

From this must be taken a proportion of the expenses advanced at the beginning. These are implements, such as a bee-veil, gloves, smoker, honey-knife, etc., in all, about five dollars; also a honey-extractor, a most curious and convenient invention, by which the comb is returned to the hive to be used again. This can be procured for eight dollars. Then there is a house or shed in which these tools are stored, and work done for and with frames and hives.