FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 23 



apart ; while the expense of the apiary must, in this way, 

 be much greater, as every hive must have its separate root' 

 or covering. We shall therefore speak of the apiary, or 

 beehouse, as we have it in this Country. 



It should be at a suitable distance from any place where 

 cattle are kept, or where Horses are tied; from hogsties, and 

 every other place where filth is collected, It is well to place 

 it in a remote part of the garden, and let some shrubery 

 grow round it for the Bees to light on, if they are so dis- 

 posed, when they swarm. No trees should be near it. Let 

 it stand leaning forward a little, facing the south, and clear 

 of shade, with the front part of the roof projecting over 

 considerably, to "prevent rains from weting the hives. 

 These should be kept clean, dry, and sufficiently warm in 

 Winter; but not so warm as to tempt the Bees abroad 

 in warm Winter-days. 



The species of Swallow called Martins will destroy Bees; 

 of course, no harbor should be afforded for these birds. 

 Some say that the common Swallow and the Redbreast, 

 will also destroy them; but this is rather doubtful* 



It is advisable to have large Swarms; small ones never 

 thrive so well; and for this purpose two or more small ones 

 should be put together. The Swarm should weigh from 

 four to six pounds. To ascertain their weight, that of the. 

 empty hive should be first known, and marked on it ; and 

 then the addition to that will be the weight of the Bees, 

 when put into it. The weight of each is readily to be 

 known by the steelyard. 



For joining two or more Swarms, take a full hive, at 

 night, and set it bottom upwards ; then set an empty one 

 of the same size with its bottom exactly on the other, and 

 let there be cross pieces in the empty one for the Bees to 

 light on. Then strike gently on the two sides of the full 

 hive to which the edges of the combs are fastened, and the 

 Bees will leave it and ascend into the upper. Then repeat 

 the operation with another full hive, the one with the 

 Bees in being set uppermost, as before, and you have two 

 Swarms together. Repeat it again, as before, and you have 

 three ; and so on, if more Swarrns are to be added. Then 

 set the hive with the Bees in it where one of the full ones 

 stood, and they will go to work together. The Queens 

 must, however, be first searched for, and all destroyed but 

 one. 



Another method recommended is to take a full hive, set 

 it on a cloth with the bottom downwards, and then give it a 

 smart stroke, which will cause all the Bees to fall ; search 

 for the Queen and destroy her; have another full hive rea- 

 dy, and put it over the Bees, and they will soon crawl up> 

 into it, and become incorporated with those of that hive. 



