FIXST PRINCIPLES OF BEE-K'EEPING. 131 



closed with a cap or cork. And, above all, let it have 

 a flat top, as in the illustration, because you will 

 want to place upon it, what is called a super, in which 

 the bees will make honey for you to take, and this 

 super will not stand well if the top is round. And 

 then by some means you must manage to keep the 

 hive dry ; placing over it some kind of covering, so 

 that no rain can reach it to make it damp. And, 

 when you choose a place for it to stand, see that it is 

 well sheltered from cold winds, and in a situation 

 where, as far as possible, the early sun will shine upon 

 it. A guide-book will give you other directions, but 

 these are the chief things to remember. 



Formerly the straw skep was nearly the only kind 

 of hive used, and many bee-keepers even now, prefer 

 them to others. And certainly such hives have their 

 advantages. They do not require so much care or 

 trouble as other hives ; and bees thrive very well in 

 them for a time, for the straw is a very good material 

 to keep the bees warm in winter, and at the right tem- 

 perature in summer. And although they are called old- 

 fashioned, they may easily be kept without there being 

 any necessity to kill the bees in the old-fashioned, cruel 

 way. And very good honey may be obtained from 

 them, although not nearly the quantity which we 

 get from the more modern hives. 



But at the same time they have their disadvan- 

 tages, and I am only advising you to get such a hive 

 just to begin with, and that you may get accustomed 

 to the bees ; and also that you may, when you want 

 it, get a swarm to put into a better hive. The dis- 

 advantages, indeed, are so many and so serious tha 



