230 



Beekeeping 



the north. These must be held in place by a heavy weight 

 and are rather objectionable because they have to be re- 

 moved each time the colony is manipulated. 



As the extreme of protection from the sun's rays may be 

 mentioned the house apiary, in which the entrances to the 

 hives are through holes in the wall of a specially constructed 

 house. Such arrangements meet with little favor among 

 American beekeepers because of the difficulty in manipulat- 

 ing the colonies inside the house. In Europe, however, the 



beekeepers often 

 construct elabo- 

 rately designed 

 and decorated 

 house apiaries 

 (Fig. 8) in which 

 an American com- 

 mercial bee- 

 keeper would find 

 himself seriously 

 hindered. 



FIG. 98. Apiary in the West, shaded by thatched 



Care of the apiary 

 grounds. 



The ground on 

 which the hives 



are located should be smooth so that a wheelbarrow or cart 

 may be utilized in carrying supplies or honey. This is also 

 desirable if a lawnmower is used to keep grass and weeds from 

 obstructing the entrances. High grass about the entrances 

 is a hindrance to the bees on returning to the hive and 

 should be avoided. Few commercial beekeepers find time 

 to use a lawnmower during the rush season, but prefer to 

 lay boards in front of the hive or to kill the grass with 

 salt. It is sometimes convenient to pasture one or more 

 sheep in the apiary inclosure. Raising the hives above the 

 grass on high stands is another solution of the difficulty, but 

 is not desirable in a heavy flow of honey, since bees often 



