APIARY. 



27 



APIARY. 



But an important feature of this hive- 

 stand is that it pel mils of being moved from 

 one out-apiary to another without "pulling 

 up stakes;" and a stand that will hold two 

 or three hives is cheaper than two or three 

 separate stands. 



If the entrances of the hives are less 

 than a foot above ground it is desirable to 

 have some sort of board leading from the 

 ground np to the entrance, unless the alight- 

 ing-board itself is of good size, as shown in 

 the illustration, in which case tlie incoming 

 bees will be able to land without difficultj\ 



AKRANGEMENT OF HIVES. 



Having decided upon the location, kind of 

 shade, windbreaks, and hive- stands, how 

 shall we arrange the hives in the apiary V 

 This question can best be answered by 

 studying the plans adopted by some of the 

 prominent apiarists. Where there is no 

 natural shade the one shown on page 22 is a 

 very good one. 



PLANS FOR APIARIES. 



6 feet. 



IC feet. 6 feet. 



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A PART OF AN APIARY ARRANGED ON THE 

 STRAIGHT-ROW PLAN. 



C. A. Hatch, of Ithaca, AVis.. a prominent 

 and extensive bee- keeper, arranges liis hives 

 on the plan shown above, which, as will be 

 seen, will work nicely in connection with the 

 double hive-stand shown on page 25. 



The stars in the preceding diagram indi- 

 cate the entrances. There are two lanes, or 

 alleyways, one six feet wide, for the bees, 

 and one ten feet wide, for the apiarist, and 

 his horse and wagon, etc. It will be noticed 

 tliat the hives are arranged in pairs, in such 

 a way that they face each other with en- 

 trances six feet apart. In the next alley 

 their backs are toward each other. 



S. E. miller's plan OF AN "APIARY. 



This plan is similar to the one used by Mr. 

 Hatch, but is arranged with a view of still 

 greater economy of space, not losing sight 

 of the scheme of a highway for bees, and an 

 alley for the apiarist. Instead of being in 

 pairs they are arranged in groups of live 

 each. Little circles in front of the hives in- 

 dicate the entrances. The hives should be 



18 inches apart to give room for a lawn- 

 mower. It would hardly do to put them 

 closer than 12 inches, for long timothy grass 

 will grow up between, and then it is difficult 

 to clean it out; and if not cut out it is in 

 the way of putting on the supers. The 

 groups can be from 10 to 20 feet apart ; but 

 if put exactly 16 feet apart, and the hives in 

 the group 18 inches apart, an apiary of 80 

 colonies can be accommodated on a plot 7.5 

 feet square, or in the back yard of an ordi- 



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HIGHWAY FOR BEES 



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ALLEY FOB APIARIST 



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HIGHWAY FOR BEES 



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nary town lot. One advantage of this 

 grouping plan is, that the apiarist can sit on 

 one liive while he is working on another; 

 and his tools, such as smoker, honey-knives, 

 bee brushes, etc., are right at hand for the 

 whole five hives. Where there is only one 

 hive on a stand, the tools have to be carried 

 to each hive. 



The general scheme is as pretty in prac- 

 tice as it is in theory ; and it is an actual 

 fact that one can crowd more colonies on a 

 given ai-ea (and yet leave room to run wag- 

 ons or carts among the hives), than with any 

 other plan with which we are acquainted. 



The Miller ])lan is specially well adapted 

 to a location in a grove ; but as trees often 

 vary in size the foliage is sometimes lopsid- 

 ed or scant on some of the trees, and hence 

 it is not always practicable to put five hives 

 at each tree. It is our practice to place in 

 front of the smallest trees only one hive ; in 

 front of those a trifle larger, two hives ; 

 those still larger, three hives, and when 

 they are of fair size, five, as in the Miller 

 plan. Arranging the hives thus, gives each 

 group of one, two, three, or five, as the case 

 may be, an individuality of its own, thus 

 affording the bees a better chance to distin- 

 guish their own group ; but in every case the 

 precaution must be observed of placing the 

 hives on the north side of the'" tree. Where 



