MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 153 



greatly to the beauty of the grounds. If the apiary is largq, 

 a small, neat, inexpensive house, in the centre of the apiary 

 grounds, is indispensable. This will serve in winter as a shop 

 for making hives, frames, etc., and as a store-house for honey, 

 while in summer it will be used for extracting, transferring, 

 storing, bottling, etc. In building this, it will be well to con- 

 struct a frost-proof, thoroughly drained, dark, and well, 

 ventilated cellar. To secure the thorough ventilation, pass a 

 tube, which may be made of tile, from near the bottom, 

 through the earth to the surface ; and another, from near the 

 bottom, to the chimney or stove-pipe above. 



PREPARATION FOR EACU COLONY. 



Virgil was right in recommending shade for each colony. 

 Bees are forced to cluster outside the hive, where the hives 

 are subjected to the full force of the sun's rays. By the 

 intense heat, the temperature inside becomes like that of an 

 oven, and the wonder is that they do not desert entirely. I 

 have known hives, thus unprotected, to be covered by bees, 

 idling outside, when by simply shading the hiv^s, all would 

 go merrily to work. The combs, too, and foundation 

 especially, are liable, in unshaded hives, to melt and fall 

 down, which is very damaging to the bees, and very vexatious 

 to the apiarist. The remedy for all this is to always have the 

 hives BO situated that they will be entirely shaded all through 

 the heat of the day. This might be done by constructing a shed 

 or house, but these are expensive and inconvenient, and, there- 

 fore, to be discarded. Perhaps the Coe house-apiary (Chap. 

 XVIII) may prove an exception ; but, as yet, we have no 

 reliable assurance of the fact. 



If the apiarist has a convenient grove, this may be trimmed 

 high, so as not to be damp, and will fulfill every requirement. 

 So arrange the hives that while they are shaded through all the 

 heat of the day, they will receive the sun's rays early and late, 

 and thus the bees will work more hours. I always face my hives 

 to the east. If no grove is at command, the hives maybe placed 

 on the north of a Concord grape-vine, or other vigorous variety, 

 as the apiarist may prefer. This should be trained to a trellis, 

 which may be made by setting two posts, either of cedar or 

 oak. Let these extend four or five feet above the ground, 

 and be three or four feet apart. Connect them at intervals of 



