APIATjy. 



29 



APIAEY. 



there are two and three in a gi'oni). one can 

 liave the entrances ])ointing towaid tlie 

 south; or if there are only two in a firdup lie 

 can have one hive with its entrance iioii.tinjr 

 toward the west, and tiie otfier hive towaid 

 the east. In any case 1 would avoid having 

 hives face the north. 



The following dagrani ^hows how the 

 hives on the three and two i)lan may be ar- 

 ranged, considering, (.f c(.urse, that the tree 

 is just south of the hive, and one, two, three, 

 or four feet fioni it. 



We have test'c-d the plan for apiaiies ar- 

 ranged with one alleyway for bee-flight and 

 one for the a])iarist; and so ha\ e a good 

 many competent bee-men. The bees seem 

 to recognize this narrow alleyway as their 

 own allotted highway; and when they are 

 woiking heavily, said highways are literally 

 full of bees, while the broad ones are more 

 free. In some apiaries in California we 

 found double rows of hives, with a double 

 alleyway between them, instead of being 

 parallel, diverge from a common center, like 

 the spokes of awheel. Of course, in this 

 case the honey-house or work-shop should 

 be at the hub, or center of the system. 



KEEI'ING GRASS DOWN AROUND THE HIVES. 



Having decided on the location and plan 

 of the ai)iary, the next qnestion that would 

 natuialy arise is. Shall the grass be allowed 

 to grow and be kept down to an even height 

 with a lawn-mower? or shall the scd be cut 

 (fl: entiiely, and the hives be placed on a 

 smooth ] lot of clay leveled off like a brick- 

 yard? In favor of this last arrangement it 

 may be t-aid that queens can be easily found, 

 and that, when the soil is once removed, all 

 that is nec» ssary is to go around the hives 

 with a hoe or scraping-knife to shave off the 

 weeds as fast as they come. If they are kept 

 down thus, and the plot is spiinklcd with a 

 thin layer of sawdust raked over evenly, we 

 have an almost ideal spot for bees. While 

 ground floors of this kind are nice and pretty 

 to look at, it means a great deal of labor and 

 expense, because there is almost constant 

 warfare against weeds. They will crowd 

 ttieir heads uj) through the sawdust; and at 

 ilie present low prices at which honey sells. 

 It may lie doubted whether one is warranted 

 in going to such expense and trouble. The 

 great majority of bee-keepers, however, 

 alter having leveled tlie plot, leaving the 

 sod, consider it sufficient to keep the grass 



down with a lawn-mower. If it is mown 

 once or twice a week, the yard not only looks 

 pretty but practically there is no inconven- 

 ience resulting from the short grass. A 

 lawn apiaiyismuch ]rettier. and about as 

 con\ enient in every way as one with a brick- 

 yard bottom. 



KEEPING DOWN THE GRASS AT THE EN- 

 TRANCES OF THE HIVES. 



It is not practicable to run a lawn-mower 

 any closer than al;out two incl.es to a liive ; 

 and it is, therefore, our piactice to sprinkle 

 salt in front of the entrances and around the 

 liives. This kills all vegetation up to a point 

 where the lawn-mower can reach it. 



13ut a good many apiarists do not even 

 have the time to use a lawn-mower. As it 

 would be a great task to keep the grass down 

 in front of the hives where it would obstruct 

 bees returning heavily laden from the fit Ids, 

 it is a very common practice to use a boaid 

 little longer than tie entrance, and a foot or 

 18 inches wide. This board should be clealed 

 on the back, and attached to the hive so 

 that the bees may have an easy runway 

 clear up to the entrance. These boards may 

 be planed and jiainted ; but ordinarily we 

 would recommend rough unplaned stuff — 

 the cheaper the better. 1 his gives the bees 

 a good foothold, and at the same time saves 

 some expense. See En'i ranges. 



SHEEP FOR KEEPING DOWN GRASS IN 'I HE 

 APIARY. 



One of our neighViors lets loose a feAv 

 sheep in his apiary occasionally. It is well 

 known that our woolly friends can gnaw 

 the grass closer than any other stock. If a 

 few of them be turned into an apiary for a 

 day or two they will cut down all the vegeta- 

 tion close to the hives, not leaving even a 

 sprig of any sort. One would naturally su])- 

 l)()se that the bees would sting the animals, 

 with the possible result that a hi\eortwo 

 would be overturned ; biil in actual practice 

 no trouble results. Once in a great wliile a 

 sheep is stung; but instead of lunning and 

 bellowing like a calf, or kicking and rearing 

 like a horse, these animals quietly walk off' 

 to a bush and plunge their heads into it. and 

 keep them there until all is quiet. A bee 

 can not possibly In'rt them exce]:t around 

 the eyes and nose. But it is so seldom that 

 they are attacked that one can not consider 

 it cruelty to animals to use them as lawn- 

 mowers. If one does not care to have them 

 stung at all lie can turn them into the apiary 

 just at night, and before daylight drive them 

 out again. But we have been in a yard wliere 

 two or three sheep were allowed to graze all 



