1386 Department of Agricultube 



apiary in proper condition at the right time, with the necessary 

 equipment at hand and ready for application. 



LOCATING AN APIARY 



An ideal location for an apiary would be upon a dry, level or 

 nearly level lot, protected from the prevailing winds by hills, 

 trees or buildings. A gentle slope to the east or south would be 

 desirable, with the hives facing these respective points. Hives 

 may face any direction in summer but at other seasons, especially 

 in the spring, it is desirable to have them so placed that they may 

 receive the maximum amount of sunshine at the entrance for the 

 protection of the foraging bees ; and to avoid the entrance of cold 

 winds. 



The apiary should be placed a reasonable distance from dwell- 

 ings and highways — one hundred feet or more — to avoid danger 

 to people or animals from stings. It is easier and wiser to locate 

 right at the outset than to adjust matters after harm is done, as 

 it is better to be sure than sorry. A high screen or hedge inter- 

 vening is a great protection at any point. 



In most rural communities no land is too good to be occupied 

 by an apiary, and scarcely any crop will produce an equal 

 revenue. The writer has seen apiaries located in hog and hen 

 yards, in stump and brush lots, in rough stone lots, and on steep 

 sidehills and cliffs, where it was very inconvenient and moreover 

 positively dangerous to handle bees or hives, their owners appar- 

 ently thinking that any old place was good enough for bees, and 

 withholding land that could be used for other purposes. 



An orchard where the trees are not too thick is often a desirable 

 place for bees, furnishing shade in hot weather for the benefit of 

 both the bees and their keeper. There should be a good turf and 

 the grass kept short, preferably with a la^vn mower. Where con- 

 venient, sheep might be used to keep the grass down. 



It is a good plan to place hives separately or in pairs with a 

 convenient distance between for handling hives or honey, using 

 a wheelbarrow — which is a very useful implement in the 

 apiary — and swinging a scythe when it is necessary to cut grass 

 in that way. Where land is plentiful, the rows may be placed 

 eight feet or more apart, with hives six or eight feet apart in the 

 row. Each hive should have a separate stand so that it can be 



