162 APIARIES. 



Protection from thieves has heen sought for in va- 

 rious contrivances, certainly not all of them effectual. 

 Feburier cites Lombard's method of security, wbich 

 consists in fastening a chain to one of the four supports 

 of the floor-hoard, bringing it over the top of the 

 hive, turning it once round, then taking it down on 

 the opposite side, and fixing it with a padlock to 

 another of the supports. Huish has improved upon 

 this, placing an iron hoop round the body of the hive, 

 having another fastened to it at right angles, and 

 brought over the top, and both attached to a chain, 

 the two ends of which are secured by a padlock to 

 the post which supports the hive. (See PL XX. fig. 5. J 

 The security afforded by either of these methods is 

 about as effectual as that which is afforded by " a 

 lock upon leather" to use an expression proverbial 

 in Scotland ; for a thief would hardly be deterred by 

 the complicated apparatus of chains and hoops, or 

 take the trouble of unwinding them, when in a mi- 

 nute's space, he could either pick the lock, or with 

 a saw cut through the three -inch post, and carry off 

 the whole concern. Howatson's mode is better. " The 

 support of the hive is of malleable iron, having a 

 single stem below, but parted into three, or rather 

 four, branches above, on the top of which branches 

 the board of the hive rests. The lower part of the 

 stem is fastened with lead into a large shapeless stone, 

 sunk to a level with the surface of the ground." To 

 this stem is fastened an apparatus of chains and hoops, 

 similar to that of Lombard and Huish. 



Of course it is highly in favour of the bees when the 



