ANTS. 



20 



Al'IARY. 



h;iviiig uccess to lh(» hives at Jill. All we 

 have to do is to add enps to all llie posts 

 used to suppoi't the stnicluie. The illustia- 

 tlon preceding, shows very clearly how ihis 

 is accomplished with but little expense or 

 trouble. The cups are lilled with coal-tar, 

 creoi-ote, or crude iietroleum, all of which 

 the ants positively dislike for two reasons— 

 they stick to their feet and the smell is vile. 

 No ant will attempt to cross such a mess as 

 this, hence the bees are secure. The warm 

 climate keeps the tar, etc., always soft; and 

 if some )-ain falls into the cups it does no 

 harm, as the water also tastes of the tar. 



In working with the bees care should be 

 taken to see nothing is left which will form 

 a " bridge " ivhereby the ants will manage 

 to reach the bee-hives while the apiarist is 

 absent. One of the worst things that can 

 happen is to allow the ants to get a taste of 

 the bees, for once they do they are sure to 

 linger around waiting for an opportunity to 

 get into the hive. 



APIARIST. One who keeps bees, or a 

 bee-keeper; and the plot of ground, includ- 

 ing hives, bees, etc., is called an 



AFIARV. As you can not well aspire 

 to be the former until you are possessed of 

 the latter, we will proceed to start an apiary. 



LOCATION. 



There is scarcely a spot on the surface of 

 the earth where mankind finds sustenance 

 that will not, to some extent, support bees, 

 although they may do much better in sume 

 localities than in others. A few years ago it 

 was thought that only localities especially 

 favored would give large honey crops; but 

 since the introduction of the Italiiins, and 

 ttie new methods of management, we are 

 each year a-tonished to hear of great yields 

 here and there, and from almost eveiy quar- 

 ter of the globe . It will certainly pay to try 

 a colony or two of bees, no matter where 

 you may be located. 



Bees are kept with much profit, even in 

 the heart of some of our large cities. In 

 this case the apiary is usually located on the 

 roof of the building, that the bees may be 

 less likely to frighten nervous people and 

 those unacquainted with their habits. Such 

 an apiary slundd be established like those 

 on the ground in all essential points. 



It is not always possible to select just the 

 location for an apiary that we might like, 

 and we are therefore compelled to take what 

 we can get ; but where conditions permit it 

 is advisable to select the rear of a village 

 lot ; or, if located on a farm, back of the 



house in an orchard. The ground should be 

 rolled and smoothed down 8o that a lawn- 

 mower can run over every portion of it, as 

 the grass should be kept down around the 

 hives. And then, a smooth plot of ground 

 renders the use of a wheelbarrow or hand- 

 cart for handling loads much more pleas- 

 ant and convenient. An ideal spot would 

 be an orchard of young trees seventy-five 

 or a hundred feet from the road or highway. 

 Usually the rear end of a village lot just 

 back of the house will answer very nicely. 

 If the apiary mw.si be located close to the 

 highway, then a higli board fence should be 

 placed between the bees and the street. A 

 hedge of osage orange, or eveigreens ; a 

 trellis of some sort of vine ; trees, shrubbery, 

 or any thing that will cause the bees to raise 

 their flight to a height of ten or twelve feet 

 above the traffic of the street may be used. 

 In any case, the bees should never be allow- 

 ed to go direct from their hives on a line 

 that would encounter vehicles orpedesti ians: 

 otherwise their owner may have a lawsuit 

 on his hands for alleged damages from bee- 

 stings. See Bees as a Nuisance. 



TOO MUCH shade DETRIMENTAL. 



If the orchard where the bees are to be 

 located is made up of old trees, then tJiere 

 can be from four to five hives grouped under 

 each tree. If, on the other hand, it consists 

 of young ones, then not more than one or 

 two hives should be placed at a tree, and in 

 that case always on the north side, to be in 

 the shade. The hives should be so located 

 that they will get the morning sun up to 

 eight or nine o'clock, and the afternoon sun 

 from three or four o'clock on. Too much 

 shade is detrimental, and too much hot sun 

 pouring dirtctlv on ihe hives is equally bad. 

 Experience has shown conclusively that a 

 very dense bhade over bees in ihe morning 

 hours is detrimental. Coli nies heated on 

 the tc(st side of a building or barn, or under 

 densely foliaged trees, so that they do not 

 get the morning sun, will not, as a rule, be 

 as far along by the time the honey-flow 

 comes on as those that have only moderate 

 shade. On the other hand, an afkryioon 

 shade does not do as much harm as one in 

 the forenoon. 



^Vell, suppose one does not have trees of 

 any sort in his yard— what shall he do? One 

 of four coiu'ses lies open: First, to us-e 

 double-walled hives; second, single-walled 

 hives with shade-boards; third, single- 

 walled hives having on the south side of 

 j them some sort of vine that can be reared up 

 I within a year or two. A grapevine trellis, 



