# Charles and Archie Lyon



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

My dad Charles would have been 90 today. Hope a few folks out there enjoy seeing a few vintage beekeeping pictures. http://s470.photobucket.com/albums/rr66/jimlyon/Vintage bee photos/


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## Daddy'sBees (Jul 1, 2010)

Nice! I really like the uncapping picture. I noticed a South Texas pic along with the S.D. pic. Did he offer pollination services back then working south then north?


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Glad you liked them, no pollination they would make up nucs during the citrus bloom down in the Rio Grande Valley and haul them up to South Dakota for honey production. Clay Eppley was a wonderful gentleman and excellent beekeeper in South Texas at the time, he was also a very close friend of Walter T Kelley who he loved to tell stories about.


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## Gregg (Dec 22, 2003)

Love seeing old beekeeping pictures like that Jim, thanks for sharing!


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

would anyone believe i'm using that extractor? nice pictures, i like the truck.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

That was a 45 frame Woodman extractor that they converted to a cappings spinner. It was pretty easy, the basket is already perforated so all you had to do was make a bottom out of plywood or masonite and replace the lid with a piece of plywood and a cutout to uncap into. Occasionally through the years an uncapping knife would fall in there, dont ask me how I know.


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## frazzledfozzle (May 26, 2010)

thanks Jim great photos


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## G B (Nov 6, 2009)

Jim those are great photos and a superb heritage


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

GOOD PICS! Anyone ever tell you that you look just like some of those guys? 
Mike


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Nice...


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Those are great, Jim. Love vintage photos.


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## soupcan (Jan 2, 2005)

What ever happened to the great looking truck???
I hope you have it stored in one of your buildings collecting dust!


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Its long gone somewhere, I'd love to have it for sure. I am pretty sure that is the truck that Dad said cracked a head on the way back north with a load of bees and they were able to locate another one and replace it themselves while parked along the road.


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

Certainly glad we live in the modern age where we have forklifts and uncappers. Great pictures Jim! Thanks for sharing.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Caroline: If walls could talk.....that's what that old extracting room of yours looked like for about 30 years. I learned how to work there, you either kept up or you kept up there was no other option. We had so much good help there through the years and whenever I have an opportunity to reminisce with an old hired hand they always agree that it was the hardest they ever worked and the most fun they ever had. The times they are a changing. Guess I'm getting old.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Nice pics Jim, those pics give me a sore back just looking at them. It's really neat when you have in this case somebody that can tell the story behind the pics & the generations going foward but never forgetting the past.
Keith


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

quite a change from the extracting room today. (and to think it only took 60 years!)


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## gregstahlman (Oct 7, 2009)

great pics Jim!!!! they would really load them old trucks up back in the day. seeing your pics makes me feel like digging around and posting some old pics.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Those were the days for sure, no scales, no log books, no 4 lane highways either. Seems like Dad said the trip would take 3 to 4 days slowing down to go through every small town and climbing hills at 30 to 40 miles per hour. With every hive individually screened had to be hard on the bees.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Them guys had guns in their arms. No bellys. It was harder but it was easier too.


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## Rob Renneker (Aug 7, 2006)

Jim,

I love the pics!! I haven't seen all of those. I'll have to print them out. This time of year I get a little nostalgic and wish Charlie and Archie were still around. I used to love talking bees with Grandpa during the holidays.


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## rjphil (Feb 13, 2009)

Photos, especially of a family tradition are always great to see. I recently found a couple of images of my Grandfather working in his apiary from the late 30s. I put one up on my bee blog.


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