PEARCE METHOD OF BEE-KEEPING 15 



I will now briefly explain some of the reasons why the 

 bees m buildings have so much better chance to survive 

 the wmter. These bees are in two hives, one above the 

 other, while those the old way are only in one body, conse- 

 quently have less than half the stores. These big double 

 hives mside are so amply protected, being five inches 

 from the outside wall, which relieves them of all danger from 

 snow, sleet or ice clogging the entrance ; and being twenty 

 mches from the ground, gives an opportunity to keep the 

 entrance from inside and out entirely clear at all times — a 

 thing of vast importance in wintering bees successfully. 

 After having a sufl[iciency of good stores directly above the 

 bees, I would place keeping the entrances open and clear 

 at all times next in importance. Therefore, if we can winter 

 and summer so successfully in buildings in this way and get 

 so very much more fine honey, our bee men and every one 

 engaging in bees keeping should not be slow in keeping their 

 bees in buildings or at least testing these buildings. The 

 value of the bees lost during the recent hard winters, that 

 hermetically sealed all exposed hives out doors, would have 

 built buildings for all the bees in the country. 



CHAPTER VII 

 Bees in House Attics and Barn Lofts. 



House attics and barn lofts are about the only places 

 where bees can be successfully kept in the cities. As there, 

 on account of the proximity of the neighbors it would be 

 impossible to keep them on the ground. It may not be 

 known to every one that bees when placed anywhere above 

 the second floor do not give any annoyance to anyone on 

 the ground, but this is the fact, and so it enables the people 

 in the cities to keep bees and get a supply of this 

 most pure and luscious sweet as well as their neighbors in 

 the country. And as about all the city dwellers have spacious 

 unused attics,- these make very good places to install a few 

 colonies -of bees on this plan, which gives them a good deal 

 of pleasure and profit, for" there still remains a strong love 

 in these city dwellers for something that resembles the farm 

 frb'm which many of them.have cbi^;to take, up the more 

 artificial -life of-zthe cities. 'Bric^ walls- and asphalt pave- 

 anents do not quite satisfy, th^rn, and. a f#-. colonies of bees 

 mth- their husy hum, seems to -go a good wa"ys*towards fill- 

 ing this longing in their nature for something that reminds 

 them of fte old farm. Therefore, I hope those that are 

 better acquainted with the business will hear me while I 

 make a minute explanation in this chapter for the use of 



