This section is from the book "Bees For Pleasure And Profit", by Samson G. Gordon. Also available from Amazon: Bees for pleasure and profit; a guide to the manipulation of bees, the production of honey, and the general management of the apiary..
Features which particularly appeal to most persons who are considering a start in beekeeping are the fact that the initial investment required is small and that it is possible to obtain everything that is wanted-bees, hives, tools or appliances, and books - all from one large establishment whose success in starting amateurs along right lines covers a period of many years. Still another feature - and one which comes in for important consideration in many instances, is that of space required. Several colonies of bees may be kept in neatly painted hives, partly shaded with grapevines or bushes, along a back-yard fence, at an expense of far less ground than would be necessary for a poultry house or a garden large enough to produce more vegetables than one's family could easily consume. Bees and gardening and poultry go admirably together, but neither of these other pursuits even closely rivals beekeeping in the investment required for making a start, the small space needed to pursue it successfully, the amount of time and attention which must be given to obtain results, or the value of the results themselves.
Modern Beehive With Tools For Handling Bees
Bees may be kept in a small way in almost any locality. For commercial beekeeping, location is a matter of serious importance, and men and women who have achieved large and enviable success with bees have often searched long and diligently for just the locality which seemed to promise most in the way of returns for their bees. Amateur beekeepers, however, need not be concerned with this problem. If the surrounding countryside is not entirely devoid of vegetation, of flowers, trees, and fields, there is no reason why the bees, with proper management, will not thrive and store up a surplus of honey. Bees will go a long way for nectar and pollen, flights to a distance of even five miles having been observed; but the time consumed in such flights and the wear on the wings of the bees do not warrant the expectancy of good results under such conditions.
Several colonies of bees may be kept in neatly painted hives, partly shaded with grapevines or bushes, along the back-yard fence, at the expense of far less ground than would be necessary for a poultry house or a garden large enough to produce the vegetables for one's own family. Bees and gardening and poultry go admirably together, but neither of these other pursuits even closely rivals beekeeping in the small investment required for making a start, the small space needed to pursue it successfully, the amount of time and attention which must be given to obtain results, or in the value of the results themselves.
Father's new pets. The whole family is interested when the beginner's outfit (bees and all) arrives and is being set up.
There can't be one absolutely definite answer to that question, for the best time for beginning isn't the same in New England as in Texas, nor the same in Florida as in Oregon, because of differences of climate and latitude. In general, the best time to get the bees in any locality is at the time of the first considerable fruit bloom in that locality. This is because the fruit bloom furnishes both nectar and pollen for the bees to build up on. In the latitude of Ohio, Indiana, etc., it is likely to be in May. The bees should not be secured before the time when warm weather may be expected and when the bees can begin securing their own food, but the beekeeping equipment should be on hand before the bees are purchased-don't forget that.
 
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