334 VEGETABLE FORCING 
the hives of bees inside the houses, and this is necessary 
if the bees must work before outside weather conditions 
are suitable for their comfort. The hives are generally 
at the ends of the houses, and they should be shaded to 
keep them as cool as possible. 
Other growers keep the bees just outside the houses, 
as shown in Figs. 118 and 119. This plan is preferable 
from the standpoint of the bees, for the conditions, except 
when they are working in the houses, are normal and 
they keep in better health. If desired, there may be open- 
ings into the hives on two sides, so that the bees may 
enter the greenhouse where a pane of glass has been re- 
moved, or they may work on plants out of doors, which 
Fig. 119.—Box containing severai hives of bees. 
has the effect of stimulating better health and greater 
activity. This plan is now followed by some of the most 
careful and successful growers, and especially by those 
who are interested in bees as well as in cucumbers. Bees 
should be placed in the houses as soon as the plants begin 
to blossom. The earliest fruits are the most profitable, 
and there should be no uncertainty about the flowers 
being properly fertilized. 
The use of bees in cucumber houses is necessarily ex- 
