Bee Hive Girls

 

 

 

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The Bee Hive Girls program started in 1913 (after a brief adoption of the Camp Fire Girls program) for the LDS girls. It was a distinct program with unique awards, lasting many years and like many programs, went through many changes. It was a highly structured program, each month had a special program to follow.

Bee-Hive Girls - the early years

Started: 1915

Sponsoring Organization: the YLMIA, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Membership: age 14 and up only.

In 1929: Girls who were 12 were allowed to be Nymphs, and were considered Bee Hive Girls, allowed to wear the pin and uniform, but not work on the ranks.

Originally: Bee-Hive Girls (note the hypen)

Open to LDS and non-LDS girls

Ranks: Builder in the Hive (color:brown), Gather of Honey (blue), Keeper of the Bees (gold)

Watchword: Womanho (Wo = work, man = mankind, ho = home)

Official colors: brown, light blue and gold

Uniform: khaki skirt, middy blouse and blue neck tie or a khaki dress and blue tie.

Bee-Hive Girl enrollment pin. A girl had to earn the 25 cents to purchase the pin. The pin spelled WOMANHO and MIA. Later pins did not have MIA.

 

Bee-Hive Girl Promise:

On my honor each day I will
Have Faith
Seek Knowledge
Safeguard Health
Honor Womanhood
Understand Beauty
Know Work
Love Truth
Taste the Sweetness of Service
Feel Joy

Sterling Silver Chain Award, provided to give something of permanent value to the girls. First sold in segments, later (1921) as a complete chain. Image from handbook.

Bee Hive Girl Pin, for girls and leaders, was introduced in 1921. A special silver version was offered during the 25th Anniversary of Bee Hive Girls.

Bee-Keeper 3-Year Service Pin, discontinued in 1951

 

Bee-Keeper 5-year Service Pin, with chain, would be attached to loop on 3-year Service Pin. BHS = Bee-Hive Swarm. A "swarm" is a group of Bee-Hive girls. Discontinued in 1951.

Early Bee-Hive Girls Handbooks were issued yearly

 

12th edition, note the hyphen continues, but the YLMIA has changed to YWMIA. This makes this edition 1934 or newer.

Bee-Hive Girls from 12th edition handbook. The familiar sash is shown on the left and the girl on the right appears to be wearing a uniform. The hats and sash are azure blue.

1927 brought big changes to the program. The requirements for progression were greatly eased, to be more in line with other girls programs, such as Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Girls.

In 1934 these changes were approved:

Membership: 12,13 and 14 year old girls

Ranks changed to: Builder in the Hive (age 12), Gatherer of Honey (13) and Guardian of the Treasure (14). Honor Bee Hive Girl was the highest honor a girl could earn.

In 1950 the program changed to a 2-years program with 2 ranks; Gatherer (age 12) and Guardian (age 13). Girls who wished to could work on additional honors as Worker Bee and Honor Bee.

After 1951 the rank titles were dropped, and girls were simply first or second year Bee Hive Girls.

Uniform: Azure Blue Sash over a white blouse, dark blue skirt. This was modified later to allow white skirts, as long as all the girls of the group wore the same color skirt.

 

1938 Bee-Keepers handbook

 

This Bee Ring was the highest honor a Bee Hive Girl could earn until the metal shortages of WWII. A special felt award was introduced.

Bee Hive Girls continued to have various charms and pins to earn and wear for many years. In March of 1949 a charm bracelet was introduced, with 7 charms to earn, one for each field of study, plus one charm for Honor Bee.

 

Honor Badges from 1943 to 1954 these designs were either discontinued or renamed in 1954.

Field of Public Service

 

Field of Business

 

Field of the Home

 

Field of Handicrafts (B&W image from handbook)

 

Busy Bee Hive Girl Characters

2 vintage Bee Hive Girl sashes

 

 

Felt emblems of rank: brown bee hive and gold hexagonal cell for a girl just joining, 2 blue violets were awarded after completing "Trial Flights", and the gold Queen Bee awarded at the beginning of the Guardian rank. These were worn on an azure blue felt sash.

 

Individual Girls Award, introduced in the 1960s.

 

Honor Badges, new names 1954

Seek Knowledge (introduced 1954)

Safeguard Health

Honor Womanhood

Value Work

Have Faith

Love Truth (introduced 1954)

Taste The Sweetness Of Service

Feel Joy

Understand Beauty

late 1940s and early 1950s cover of Bee Hive Girls handbook - note that it says Bee Hive as two separate words, no hyphen.

Various Beehive Girls Handbooks - note that these each say Beehive as one word

Y.W.M.I.A. Camp Patch. Each year a girl would earn patch with successive letters on them. The first year, the patch would only have the "Y" on in, the next year would have the "Y" & "W", and so on. This is a 5 year patch, having all the letters of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association.

 

The LDS youth program for girls continues to use the Bee Hive term, but not along the very structured trail as the early years.

The Bee Theres was a series of fictional books about a Bee Hive group of girls and their adventures.

 

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Last modified: 02/20/10