394 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



trances. They are also g-iven a down- 

 ward slant. The little boards nailed 

 between each alig^hting- board are to 

 help the bees locate their entrances. 

 Care must be taken to have them snug- 

 up against the building, else, under 

 certain conditions, the bees will run 

 along the side of the building and en- 

 ter the wrong hive. Especial atten- 

 tion must be paid to these little things 

 in the early spring. 



The next step will be to put in the 

 shelves upon which the hives set. The 

 original design of this shelf was taken 

 from the F. A. Salisbury house 

 apiary, of Syracuse, N. Y., but I 

 have added much to it which facilitates 

 its working. These shelves are of 

 pine 7 X 28 X /s and are gotten out in 

 pairs. After sizing them, I sort the 

 boards over so as to work in clear 

 stuff, then turn a shallow cup 3^4 x >'s 

 inches in one end; then cut a rabbet 

 ^ X )i from the center of this cup. 

 This cup and rabbet are for feeding. 

 (See cut No. 3) The center is a wood 

 frame 10 x 28x^, covered with a wire 

 cloth center, through which the bees 

 ventilate their hives. Under this wire 

 cloth center there is a slide 11 x 16 x )i 

 which closes this space in cold weather, 

 or whenever we wish, and can be slid 

 sidewise under the shelf when not 

 wanted. (See cut No. 2.) This ar- 

 rangement allows either a tight, or 

 ventilated bottom, at will. The lower 

 shelves are supported directly from the 

 floor and are about 6 inches high on 

 the inside end. The outside end is 

 nailed to the lap girts. The upper tier 

 is supported on braces nailed to the 

 studding to hold the inside end. There 

 is a cross-piece on the braces which 

 should be nailed to the shelf first, just 

 16'4 inches from the lap girt to which 

 the outside ends are nailed. (See cut 

 No. 1.) This cut gives an inside view 

 of the arrangement. Behind the stack 

 of supers is the ventilator. In front is 

 the set of tools which I have in each 

 house. 



If a person wished to go to the ex- 

 pense, there could be a second, or 

 upper floor, thus doing away with the 

 upper deck of shelves, but this would 

 make the building cost considerably 

 more. The entrances are contracted 

 by means of little tins, 2>^ x 4 inches, 

 with a % inch turn at right angles to 

 keep them straight. Two for each en- 

 trance. I use an entrance guard and 

 drone-trap about a month. This trap 

 is 11 inches long, 4^ inches wide and 

 5>^ inches high. 



SPRING MANAGEMENT. 



The first operation in the spring is 

 that of taking the bees out of the cel- 

 lar, and, as in all other manipulations, 

 be sure to have everything in readi- 

 ness and keep the bees under control. 

 I take off the bottom boards when cel- 

 laring, so when it comes time to take 

 them out, I fill the cellar with smoke 

 from a Bingham smoke engine, keep- 

 ing it going in the cellar until done. 

 Of course, it is a little hard on the per- 

 son in the cellar but the bees handle so 

 much nicer, and it does not take long 

 in a house-apiary, as two can set them 

 out in less than an hour. Be sure that 

 each colony goes back on the same 

 shelf that it occupied before, so as to 

 avoid confusing the bees. That bees 

 are thus confused is a fact, not theory, 

 especially in a house-apiary. Last 

 spring, when setting the bees out, I 

 noticed bees rushing in an entrance 

 where there was no hive. Upon exam- 

 ination I found the colony was on the 

 wrong shelf. I moved them to their 

 original location when the bees of that 

 colony all came there and entered con- 

 tentedly. To aid the bees in locating 

 their entrance when thej' are first put 

 in a house-apiary, I lean old boards, 

 rails, brush, or anythhig contrasting, 

 against the building. After a little 

 time these can be taken away. In 

 taking the bees from the cellar my as- 

 sistant goes into the cellar and hands 

 them up through the trap-door, and I 



