1897 



(CLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



697 



But, how about tlu' iioisc, and walkinj^ on 

 the floor so near the hive? Bees become ac- 

 ouslonieil to it, and ilo not mind it. 



I never saw a house-apiary, and know not 

 how they are jjenerally built, or what advan- 

 tasjfes others may find in them ; but for me I 

 tind it most convenient and satisfactory. I 

 w(.)uld not keep bees if I had to winter them 

 in cellars and caves. The hives in this house 

 are only about 'J '2 inches apart, and it is very 

 easy to pack them in chaff or straw if it is ever 

 necessary. My opinion is this, founded on 

 experience : That it would be better to have 

 the house facing east, with plenty of windows 

 on the east anil west sides ; also have a large 

 window in the south end, the north and south 

 ends being flanked with good windbreaks. 



sun till noon, and on bright days in spring the 

 top of the hive becomes very warm, even on 

 ct)ld days. Be.sides this source of heat, there 

 is a coil of steam-heating pipes running along 

 the wall under the window, and the tempera- 

 ture of my room is seldom as low as 50 deg., 

 either night or day. In the afternoon it is up 

 to 7") degrees. The bees get their fresh air 

 from under the window-sash. The hive is so 

 warm and comfortable, especially when the 

 north wind blows, that the bees take exercise 

 in the hive, which oftentimes lias been a great 

 source of pleasure to me on winter days, 

 watching them through the glass, as the side 

 of the hive next to my writing-table is glass. 



Oftentimes in early spring I have seen the 

 bees fly from less comfortable hives when not 





i$mi''- 



HiHSK-Al^AKV ON THIi f.Kor.NDS OF THE rXIVKKSITV, AT NOTRK DAMIC, IXD. 



The ad\antiiges of this arrangement are 

 that, on windy days, the bees would find a 

 calm atmosphere as soon as they would drop 

 down to the hives, and in early spring the sun 

 shining through the windows and on the roof 

 would raise the temperature in the building, 

 and Cfjnsequently in the hives, which I think 

 would have a tendency to induce earlj^ brood- 

 raising. 



But, would not this be an inducement to the 

 bees to fly out on cold bright days? I believe 

 not, when their quarters are comfortable ; at 

 least, this has been my experience. I have 

 kept a sixteen-frame colony on the window- 

 sill in my room for the past three years. The 

 window is situated in a southeast angle of the 

 building, affording light and heat from the 



a bee was to be seen from this particular one. 

 As for funerals and house-cleaning in the 

 spring, this hive is almo.st exempt. Perhaps 

 not over 200 dead bees could be found in and 

 aljout this hive the entire winter and spring. 



I have .seen them work about (JO(K) flights an 

 hour on first honey or pollen. At night they 

 appear to enjoy the lamplight, which is some- 

 times very close to their window. But, the 

 noise? Well, they are aroused by the ringing 

 of a large hand-bell every morning at five 

 o'clock, and every hour till nine in the eve- 

 ning, besides vocal and instrumental music 

 three times a clay, when a class of fifteen or 

 eighteen young men join in a chorus, which 

 makes quite a racket. Nevertheless, these 

 little creatures continue from day to day their 



