BEE-KEEPING. 51 



himself fully able to cope with any difficulties that may 

 occur. 



It has long been a debatable point whether Bees do 

 best congregated in houses or standing singly about the 

 garden ; of course, properly protected, the balance of 

 opinion is for the latter course — mainly for two reasons. 

 Firstly, the Bees are not so liable to rob and fight ; and 

 a most important point, the young Queens, when return- 

 ing from their matrimonial excursions, are not so likely 

 to mistake the hive from which they issued — if they do, 

 the penalty is death, for the Queen of the invaded hive 

 allows no intruders. If Bee houses or sheds are used, 

 they should be lofty enough for their owner to stand 

 upright in for convenience in manipulation ; the hives 

 should be far enough apart, at least three feet, and should 

 be dissimilar in appearance. For hives made of thin 

 material, like the Stewarton, shelter becomes a necessity, 

 and indeed some Bee-masters obtain very successful 

 results from Bees kept wholly indoors, egress and ingress 

 being given to them by a covered way leading to the 

 open air. I think a sound rainproof open barn or other 

 building must prove a decided advantage, securing 

 warmth and comfort. For three or four hives very pretty 

 little Bee houses may be constructed, forming garden 

 ornaments. 



E2 



