663 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1. 



the sages yield an abundant honey crop; and 

 cases were cited where .^00 colonies had given 

 65 tons of extracted honey; and apiaries with a 

 less number of colonies, yields in proportion. 



All the way up the San Joaquin Valley we 

 hear much of the " West Side," and that means 

 the west side of the valley, where it is bounded 

 by the Coast Range of mountains. The east 

 slope of this range seems to have an abundance 

 of sage, while the western slope toward the 

 Pacific, over which we traveled earlier in the 

 season, has but a small acreage of it. 



The west side, as we go up the center valley, 

 has a distance varying from 20 to 60 miles. 



■ — • — ^ 



SALISBURY'S HOUSE-APIARY A SUCCESS. 



HOW TO CONSTKUCT ONE. 



By F. A. SaJislmry. 



In the fall of 1893 I built my first house- 

 apiary, and liked it so well during the season 

 of 18!;)4 that I built another out about three 

 miles, near Split Rock. The first view shows 

 how the last one looks from the outside. The 

 whole is on a stone foundation, with five win- 



width and runs from the cornice to the sill. 

 First at each end is red ; then white ; then 

 blue ; then yellow ; then green. 



In the center there is a room 9 feet 4 in. wide, 

 and 13 feet long, the outside of which is painted 

 white. In the center of each color is a window 

 without glass, but with doors 14x20 in., that can 

 be fastened. The hinges used are blind-hinges, 

 and the catches are blind-catches. Along the 

 ridge there is an opening running nearly the 

 whole length of the building, 13 in. wide. Over 

 this is built a roof. When shingled and sided 

 up, the cupola has an opening on each side at 

 the top, of 3 in., running the whole length. In 

 each end of the building there is a door. The 

 entrances are cut through the siding J^xS in., 

 and an alighting-board 3x12 in. is nailed just 

 under the opening, even with it. 



The second view is an inside one, looking 

 from the center toward one end. On each side 

 you will notice there are two shelves, the bot- 

 tom one being 8 in. from the floor, and the up- 

 per one .53. Doors are placed 15 in. from the 

 shelves. On the shelves the hives are placed 

 3 feet apart. 



The bottom of the hives or shelves proper are 



EXTERIOR VIEW OF SALISBURY'S HOUSE-APIARY. 



dows in it for ventilation, 6x18 inches. On top 

 of the wall is embedded in the mortar a 3x10 

 inch ; on top of this are placed the joists, 3x10, 

 two feet apart. Beginning at each end, the 

 second one is to be 38 in. from the end to cen- 

 ter of stud. The rest to be 24 inches from cen- 

 ter to center. 



Begin the laying of the floor from each side, 

 laying about two boards ; then put up the 

 studs ; on top of them the plate, and then the 

 rafters. Studs are placed over the joists, and 

 rafters over the studs. The plate is made of 

 two 3x4-inch studding. Use cove ceiling for 

 the siding. It is painted in five colors. Begin- 

 ning at each end, each color takes six feet in 



so made that the center of each hive is over a 

 space that is open (see the shelf at the right on 

 the bottom). In this space can be placed a 

 board, making a tight bottom; or during the 

 summer months the space can be filled with a 

 frame covered with wire cloth. By using the 

 wire cloth at the bottom the bees are much 

 more comfortable in hot weather, and I think 

 it has a tendency to prevent swarming. Dur- 

 ing the season of 1894 we had only 11 colonies 

 swarm from 101 ; this season, only 1 from 114. 

 One would think that the bees would proceed to 

 fill up the wire cloth with propolis ; but we 

 have had the screen in use now two seasons, 

 and they are as clean now as when first put 



