38 SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



prosperous condition will suddenly need attention; and if it does not re- 

 ceive it, it will start backward. A queen may fail during the height of her 

 egg-laying, especially if she is old. I have seen very prolific queens all at 

 once cease laying fertile eggs and fill the comb with unfertile ones, and 

 soon the hive would be full of drones and the colony in a hopeless condi- 

 tion. Sometimes bees will clog the brood-nest with honey, and crowd 

 the queen out, and soon the number of bees is greatly diminished ; especially 

 will they do this if they get crowded for room to store honey. Hence it 

 is necessary that we look over our apiary at least every two weeks dur- 

 ing warm weather, and supply the needs of our bees; and if there are any 

 hives which need attention sooner than two weeks it should be set down in 

 the hive-record book the day the visit should be made, and what is to be 

 done, etc.; then all we have to do is- to refer to the record-book, and treat 

 the colonies that need attention, and not molest those which do not need it. 

 A bee-keeper will not advance far in bee culture before he will learn that 

 there is much apiary work to be done at certain times and days or the 

 result will be a great loss. Suppose a queen is lasting 2,000 eggs a day, and 

 then fails, and the colony loses the use of her for four or five days : the re- 

 sult is a heavy loss. Then suppose we have a batch of queen-cells that need 

 grafting, or a batch of ripe cells to be removed and distributed on a cer- 

 tain day. If we fail to get around, the result is a loss. 



Again, suppose there is a sudden change in the honey-flow and it is 

 very heavy, and the bees are not supplied with the proper room: the result 

 is a loss. So systematic bee-keeping is the best and safest way to keep 

 bees. 



Hives should be arranged in the apiary to suit the convenience of the 

 apiarist as much as possible. He should stand at the back or on either 

 side of the hive while examining it, and never in front of it. Hives should 

 never be arranged in front of each " other closer than six or eight feet, 

 and further is better, so that, while looking through one colony,- other 

 colonies will not be molested; and these should be arranged in pairs, or 

 two set about 18 inches apart, so the aparist can work or pass around 

 them ; and one hive can be used to set the smoker on, or to lay the hive- 

 tool and other things on while doing work in the other hive. . 



Hives should be arranged in pairs and rows, and never scattered pro- 

 miscuously, for it is better in appearance, and the bees can mark and 

 find their own hives better; and it is more convenient for the apiarist. 

 Where an apiary is located under natural shade the hives should be ar- 

 ranged so as to get the benefit of the shade as much as possible, and at 

 the same time arrange them in pairs and in rows if possible. Apiaries 

 should never be located in thickets, for it will obstruct the flight of 

 the bees. Small bushy trees, scattered somewhat, furnish the best natural 

 shade for an apiary. 



The rows of hives should run southwest and northeast, so that the 

 hives will face toward the southeast, which arrangement seems to be best, 

 for the bees will get the benefit of the morning sun; then should the sun 



