VI 



A HUMBLE-BEE HOUSE 



95 



be made to open. Inside the house are fitted. two 

 shelves, one on each side, extending from end to 

 end of the house. Each shelf consists of a board 

 9 in. wide and i in. thick, and is at a height of 

 2\ ft. from the ground. Each shelf will accom- 

 modate four colonies. 



Figure 19 shows a vertical section through one 

 of the domiciles. The comb is contained in wooden 



'ft///////////. 1 '' 



to outs'dz. 



Fig. 19. Vertical Section through a domicile in Sladen's Humble-bee House. 



sections or storeys, which are multiplied as it grows. 

 At the bottom is the starting section, measuring 

 only 2\ in. wide by 3J in. long on top and 2 in. 

 long at the bottom, with an entrance hole at the 

 end. This storey is large enough to hold the comb 

 until the first batch of workers is succeeded by 

 others. Then a second storey, measuring 3J in. 

 by 4 in., is placed over the first, and this when 

 filled with comb is capped by a third and still larger 

 storey, measuring 4 in. by 5 in. Prosperous nests 

 of B. lapidarius and terrestris usually require a 

 fourth storey of the same size as the third. A 



