1882 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



At the extreme left of the porch are some twenty 

 clay cylinders piled up like drain-tiles. These are 

 some of the bee-hives of the natives, and this shows 

 exactly the manner in which their apiaries are ar- 

 ranged—is, in fact, a model of a Cyprus apiary. 

 The cylinders are made of clay, and burnt, and each 

 is about a yard long and 9 or 10 inches in diameter, 

 except each end, which is a little larger.* A stone 

 disc is fitted into each end, and t he crevices, except 

 an entrance-hole, filled with puddled clay. 



On the roof is another model (!) apiary, such as 

 may be seen at many a Cypriote's home. The cylin- 

 ders of this collection are made of cliy. into which 

 short straw has been incorporated, and they have 

 been merely dried in the sun. Inside they arc of 

 about the same size as the others, but the walls arc 



from the back end, after the removal of the rear 

 disc, and after t be bees have been driven forward 

 with smoke. But brood and some dirt often get 

 mixed with the combs taken out, which are then 

 crushed, and the honey strained out; hence the 

 quality is very poor; yet 13 cents per pound (14 pias- 

 tres per oke) is the price which is commonly asked 

 for it in the bazaars. It often happens that the poor 

 bees find their winter-stores have been stolen fr^m 

 them, and that, after a hard year's toil in the iiot, 

 scorching hot, summer sun, they must starve in the 

 cold. Surely, I hope there are nn Cypriotes in Amer- 

 ica, and that all of the be.iutiful littlo workers I 

 send over there will faro better than would have 

 been the ease if they had lieen left to the not very 

 tender mercies of Greek or Turkish Cypriotes. 



FRANK BENTON'S APIAUY, L.VRNACA, ISLAND OF CYPRUS, MEDITERRANEAN SEA. 



generally a little over twice as thick as those made 

 of burnt clay, being quite two inches. Of course, 

 they arc very heavj-, unwieldy thing?; yet (since 

 there are few trees in Cyprus) these thick clay walls 

 protect the combs from the sun even better than do 

 the thinner burnt-clay ones. In winter, too, they 

 keep the bees warmer. The diameter of these cylin- 

 ders is greater at the rear end than in front, in order 

 to facilitate the removal + of combs of honey; for 

 from these, as well as from the other kind of hives, 

 the natives take such an amount of honey as they 

 think the bees can spare, by cutting the combs out 



*A palpable infringement (?) on our friend Merrybanks" pail 

 bee-hive.— Ed. 

 tMerrj'banks again, for a wonder. 



The house is one of those old rambling adobe and 

 stone structures so characteristic of Cyprus. Its 

 walls are two feet thick, floors of stone, and roofs of 

 beaten clay six or eight Inches thick, and supported 

 by great arches of massive masonry. Some Idea of 

 Its size may be gained from the following facts: 

 The front court is 60 by 100 feet, and is nearly in- 

 closed on three sides by parts of the house, which 

 contains l-t rooms. The front porch is 13 feet wide 

 and 05 feet long. A hall at the right leads through 

 the house 50 feet to the back court, which is about 

 30 feet by something over 60, and is inclosed by the 

 house on two sides. 



When our little " prize queen," who first " piped " 

 Sept. 5th, 1881, can trot from room to room, it will be 



