lo Jan., 1 91 2.] Bee-keeping in Victoria. 



apiary, and a bee-range licence which secures to the holder the exchisive 

 use of the bee flora for a radius of one male. No other bee-farm licence 

 is allowed at a lesser distance than two miles. The payments to be made 

 are is. a year per acre for a bee-farm site, and ^d. per acite for the radius 

 of the bee range, or about ^4 4s. a vear. 



Site of Apiary. 



Having decided upon the locality, the spot upon which the hives are 

 to be set out should be selected, with due regard to its suitabilitv for the 

 bees and convenience of working the apiary. 



An even, gently sloping surface, of gravelly or sandy soil, will be found 

 most suitable. It should, if possible, be sheltered by a natural or artificial 

 breakwind on the south and west. A slope to the north or east is prefer- 

 able to one to the south or west. 



The honey-house should be placed at the lower end, and the hives 

 arranged in such a way that a good general view can be obtained from the 

 door and windows of the building, so that during the swarming season the 

 apiary may be under observation while necessary indoor work is being 

 done. Having the building at the lower end of the ground has the double 

 advantage of getting a better view of the whole apiary and of moving the 

 supers of heavy honeycombs down hill at extracting time 



It is not advisable to stand hives under evergreen trees, such as pines 

 or eucalypts. Colonies in permanently shaded positions never thrive so 

 well as others out in the open. If placed under deciduous trees, as for 

 instance in an orchard, the hives will have shade during the hottest part of 

 the day in summer, and sunshine during the cold months of the year when 

 the trees are not in leaf. 



Arrangement of Hives. 



In laying out the apiary, it is better to place the hives in groups of 

 twos, tlirees, or fours, with a longer distance between the groups, than to 

 stand the hives singlv in rows. The group system lends itself better to 

 the various necessary operations of uniting or dividing colonies and in 

 moving about amongst the hives ; it gives more space between the groups 

 than would be the case between the same number of hives placed singly. 



When grouping hives, the entrances should point in different direc- 

 tions. None, however, should face the south, as th,e strongest and coldest 

 winds come from that quarter. It is also advisable to vary the grouping 

 so that no two adjoining groups will be exactly alike. This will to a gneat 

 extent prevent the straving of returning field bees and the loss of virgin 

 queens returning from 'their mating flight. The latter frequently occurs 

 when hives stand in symmetrical rows and without any variation in the 

 arrangement and without distingu'shing landmarks. 



{To be continued.) 



