APIARY. 



30 



APIARY. 



the season through, and in all that lime they 

 were not stung more than once or twice, and 

 yet the grass was kei)t down automatically 

 over every square foot of the apiary. 



One would suppose the droppings might 

 be somewhat olTensive; but our neighbor 

 assures us that this is not the case, as the 

 manure very soon sun-dries, and it is of such 

 a nature that it makes no trouble in the first 

 place. 



THE IJOUSE-AFIARY. 



This is a term that is used to designate a 

 structure enclosing a whole apiary. The 

 hives are usually arranged on shelves next 

 to the outside walls and having direct com- 

 munication with the outside. 



As a general tiling, an outdoor apiary is 

 cheaper and more satisfactory than one in a 

 building. For the house-apiary, the capital 

 to put up the building must be furnished at 

 the outset ; and one that will take 50 colonies 

 will cost much more than the same number 

 of hives intended for outdoor use. But 

 there are conditions under which the house- 

 apiary may be and is used to advantage — in 

 fact, al^'ordsthe only method of keeping bees 

 at all. Where land is valuable, such as in or 

 near the city, or in localities occasionally 

 visited by thieves, where bees, honey, and 

 every thing, so far as possible, must be kept 

 under lock and key, it is a necessity. A 

 small building, also, to accommodate 35 or 

 W colonies, even when these conditions do 

 not exist, may often be used very advan- 

 tageously in Cfmnection with the regular 

 apiary outdoors. When robbers are bad, or 

 when the day is rainy, the work can continue 

 right on, because the apiarist can leave the 

 outdoor bees and resume operations inside, 

 free from robbers in the one case, or pro- 

 tected from inclement weather in the other. 



I'ntil very recently, house-apiaries have 

 not been regarded with very much favor 

 among practical bee-keepers, principally on 

 account of faulty construction, and because 

 bee escapes, when house-apiaries began to 

 come into use in certain quarters, were not 

 known : but since the advent of these labor- 

 saving devices, the troubles arising from 

 bees leaving the hives, and crawling over 

 the floor to die, or to be trampled on if not 

 already dead, atthe first visit of the apiarist, 

 are done away with. Tiiese and other in- 

 conveniences have been almost wholly re- 

 moved ; and iierhaps the only reason why 

 the house-ai)iary is not more generally used 

 is because of the expense, or first cost. 



now TO CONSTRUCT A HOUSE- ArlAKY. 



The building may be oblong, square, oc- 

 tagonal, or round. The round or octagonal 

 form will, perhaps, save stei)s during the 

 operation of extracting ; because, if the 

 building is only 12 or 14 feet in diameter, 

 the extractor may be put in the center of 

 the room, and every hive will be equally 

 distant, or practically so, and the combs 

 may be transferred from hive to extractor, 

 and vice vsrsa, without taking more than 

 one step ; whereas, if the building is oblong 

 some hives will be further from the seat of 

 operations. The house-apiary building we 

 are using is (ictagonal ; but we found it a 

 very expensive thing to make, and we were 

 greatly annoyed by a leaky roof; and the 

 only way to make it tight, with its many 

 angles, was to cover it with tin. We would, 

 therefore, construct a plain square building, 

 say 12 feet across. For a roof we would 

 adopt the plain gable, covering it with 

 shingles. Where the winters are cold the 

 building should by all means he doiible-ivalled 

 with sawdust, or some sort of packing ma- 

 terial shoidd be poured in between the tvs^o 

 walls. Unless it is warmly packed there 

 will be bad wintering. Our own building is 

 lined on the inside with tarred paper, and re- 

 covered with manilla paper ; but we are not 

 sure that we would recommend it for any 

 one else, because holes are constantly being 

 punched through it. A better way would 

 be to line it with wood— some cheap floor- 

 ing would be good enough. If the joints 

 are made tight, so that the packing-material 

 will not leak, plain No. 2 barn-boards would 

 answer. Through the roof, and extending 

 through the center of the ceiling, we would 

 have a ventilator-shaft, made of wood, 

 about a foot square, and so arranged that it 

 can be closed at will. During summer 

 weather the smoker should be set directly 

 beneath the shaft, and the ventilator opened 

 for the escape of smoke. It should always 

 be closed before leaving the building, be- 

 cause it is desirable to have the room per- 

 fectly dark, except at the small openings, 

 where bee escapes are to be placed, as we 

 shall soon explain. 



As to a door and windows there should 

 be only one window, and that opposite the 

 door, so as to allow a draft to pass directly 

 through, because the building at best be- 

 comes very sultry in hot summer weather. 

 An ordinary tight-fitting door should be 

 used, hinged in the usual way. To the out- 

 side of the door-frame there should be a 

 wire-cloth screen-door. At the toj) of the 



