686 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1921 



Pig. 4. — The interior of apiary shown in Fig. 3. It is always desirable to have trees inside of an in- 

 closure like this. In the iirst place, they furnish shade in the summer; and in the second place they les- 

 sen the force of the air currents that strike the side of the fence. The boards are separated slightly to 

 allow the wind to filter thru very slowly, thus preventing a blast from glancing upward and then downward. 



held in place bj means of braces reaching to 

 the ground on both sides, the bottom end of 

 the braces being nailed to a stake. (See Fig. 

 5.) This construction not only enables us to 

 "pull up stakes" literally but to move the 

 vphole apiary, windbreaks and all, at com- 

 paratively little expense. The panels of 

 fence after being taken down can be laid on 

 a big truck and carried to the other loca- 

 tion. But even if there were no intention of 

 moving, this construction is cheaper than 

 fence posts that must be long enough to 

 reach to the top of the fence and into the 

 ground at least 2^^ feet. They must be 

 strong enough to withstand the heavy pres- 

 sure of wind. Fence posts meeting these 

 requirements are rather expensive; and a 

 simple brace made up of two %-inch boards 

 nailed together is a great deal cheaper, with, 

 of course, the great advantage that the 

 whole outfit can be moved to another yard 

 if necessary. Fig. 3 shows one of our api- 

 aries as it looks from the outside, and Fig. 

 4 an inside view of the same apiary. 



It will be noted in the artificial wind- 

 break that the boards are placed a slight 

 distance apart. As a little of the blast of 

 air filters between the boards it stops it 

 from rushing upward so fast, and then div- 

 ing downward as it will do with a solid 

 construction. 



There are locations where bees have been 

 successfully wintered with comparatively 

 little loss for years, without any windbreaks. 

 Deep snows or some general contour of the 

 country might protect bees in such a place 

 without a windbreak; but to argue that 

 bees do not need windbreaks is like saying 



that whisky is conducive to longevity be- 

 cause one or two men have lived to a ripe 

 old age and drank it all their lives. 



Pig. h. — Showing details of construction of an ar- 

 tificial windbreak. It will be seen that the wind- 

 break is made up of panels, the boards of which 

 are placed about an inch apart, each panel being 

 held in place by means of braces on the outside and 

 in.side. The arrangement makes it possible to move 

 the windbreak as well as the apiary itself. The 

 panel is separated, the braces loosened, when the 

 whole is laid on a truck. 



