54 THE APIART; OK, 



easily shut down again when the inspection is finished. We may here 

 remark, that it is not well to keep the glasses long exposed to full 

 light and view. 



The front of the bee-house being closely boarded, a passage way 

 is contrived for the bees by which they have egress and ingress, 

 without being able to gain aciiess to the house. The hives must be 

 kept close to the front boarding of the house, so as to prevent 

 the opening of any crevices which the bees might mistake for the 

 entrance to their hives, and so find their way into the house. The 

 front view of this bee-house shows the ordinary contrivance for 

 entrance; the sliding zinc entrances may also be advantageously 

 fixed as shown in the engraving of a " Bee-house to contain twelve 

 hives." In many parts of the country, hives and honey are some- 

 times stolen from the garden; the bee-houses we furnish have a 

 lock and key to prevent depredations of this kind. 



Care must be taken to keep the bee-houses free from spiders 

 and other insects. In some districts ants are numerous and trouble- 

 some. The plan we recommend for excluding them is to put some 

 pitch round the four supports of the bee-house ; or, better still, strips 

 of loose fiannel or other woollen material that is absorbent, which have 

 previously been soaked in lamp-oil. We use sperm oil, being the 

 slowest drying oil we know of. A piece of string will keep the flannel 

 close to the wood, and then neither ant or any other insect will 

 pass up ; so that by this simple means the hives may, so to speak, 

 be insulated and placed beyond their reach. As the oil dries up it 

 can easily be renewed. We have found this an effectual remedy 

 against these insidious enemies of bees. 



