SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 77 



and all desirable locations marked on the map which you make while view- 

 ing the cotmtry, the apiary should, be established in the most convenient and 

 favorable location on the map ; then as soon as you have bees enough, estab- 

 lish another apiary at the next most favorable location, and so on until you 

 have as many bees as you want in that section. But in occupying this home 

 territory we should not interfere with any other bee-keeper ; and it should be 

 occupied to the greatest advantage possible for the bees. Bees penetrate the 

 location they are in, for honey, for three or four miles ; but when the hoAey- 

 plants are in bloom, and honey is coming in, the penetration is not extended so 

 far — one, one and a half or two miles, perhaps, so the apiaries should be 'o- 

 cated over three miles apart, so that the bees in one yard will not gather the 

 honey the bees in the other yards would get. Bees, like other living things that 

 feed upon whatever mother Earth may send forth for them, may not do 

 well in one pasture; for only a certain number are required to remove the 

 suMJly, and all over that number will only save what others would; so too 

 many bees should not be put in one yard. The number of colonies required 

 to secure the honey in one location depends upon the number of honey- plants 

 there are in it; also the uncertainity of seasons is a matter for considera- 

 tion. If it is a good season there is plenty of honey in the blossoms, .ind it 

 will require a large number of bees to gather it ; but if it is a poor season the 

 honey-plants will yield sparingly, and a great number of bees will visit the 

 blossoms too often, and only a very small amount will be obtained by each 

 bee; while if the visits were not so often the amount obtained by each bee 

 would be greater. Some of our Southern bee-keepers keep from 75 to 200 

 colonies in one location ; but the most successful ones are keeping only from 

 40 to 60, but located two or three miles apart, or somewhat closer than large 

 apiaries. I have obtained better results by operating small apiaries, so I do 

 not advocate large ones, taking the uncertainties into consideration. I would 

 not be willing to risk my bee business if too much compacted. 



There is another thing of great importance in locating out-apiaries; and 

 that is, they should be located close to a lasting spring or stream of water, 

 for bees consume a large amount of it during the season, especially at times 

 when .brood-rearing is at a high pitch. Apiaries should not be located on 

 open land some distance from the forest, because in early spring we have 

 much high cold wind that usually plays havoc with our honey crop; and if 

 the bees have to go across untimbered land they are beaten down by the 

 high wind, and many of them never reach their hives. But if they are located 

 along branches or creeks the growth will protect them while flying. My 

 apiaries are located on creeks ; and when the wind is high the honey-laden 

 bees will mostly come in low On the opposite side of the timber from the 

 wind. The most of the creeks and branches have a heavy growth along on 

 either side of them, and cet-tainly furnish great protection to bees in their 

 flight. . 



Every outer apiary should also have a good honey-house to do extractmg 

 in, or to keep honey in for a short time, and to keep extra supplies in, and 

 to get in out of bad weather while working over the apiary. There should 

 also be a smoker, veil, and hat at each honey-house for convenience. The 



