20 Bee-heephig in Victoria. 



a great measure, not only the prosperity and health of the colony, but 

 the durability of the hive itself. When hives, however well made, are 

 covered with bags, palings, bark, or pieces of tin and iron, which materials 

 either absorb the rain or conduct it into the hive by soakage around the 

 edges, one need not wonder to find hives gaping open at the joints with 

 boards warped or cracked, and mouldy combs inside. A hive cover should 

 be watertight at)o\e all things, but it should also be constructed so that it 

 will throw the water clear of the hive walls, and prevent the fierce heat 

 of summer and the frost of the winter penetrating from the top. A flat, 

 single board cover cannot fulfil these requirements. Even when kept well 

 painted on the outside and strongly cleated at the ends it will warp, twist, 

 or crack in the heat of summer, and will then not fit down close on to the 

 hive .all round. This will give rain water entrance to the interior of the 

 hi\-e and robber bees an opening to hover round during a dearth of nectar. 



A gable cover with base board resting flat on the hive surmounted by 

 a pitched roof with eaves projecting down a little below the top of the 

 hive, is most effective, and keeps the hive dry and cool in summer, and 

 warm in winter. This cover, is however, somewhat troublesome to con- 

 struct, and not suitable for migratory beekeeping, being bulky and of an 

 awkward shape for transporting. After using extensively for a number of 

 years about six different patterns of hive covers, I find that a flat one 

 covered with plain galvanized iron is the best all round. This is made 

 of two layers of boards such as may be got from kerosene and jam ca.ses. 

 The boards of one layer run crosswise to the other, and are nailed together 

 to form an oblong of 2oJin. x i4|in., that is h inch longer and wider 

 than the hive. Strips of board wide enough to project \ inch all round 

 on the lower side of the cover are nailed to the edge of it. The whole is 

 then covered with a piece of galvanized (plain) iron, No. 26 gauge, 

 measuring 28in. x i8in., and cut in at the corners to allow of it being 

 turned down at right angles and secured at the eaves. A sheet of 26-gauge 

 plain galvanized iron 72in. x 36in., which is a trade size, will thus cover 

 six hive roofs. A hive cover of this description will outlast any other kind, 

 [t requires no paint, as the wood is not exposed. There is no warping, 

 as one layer of boards checks the other ; it is water and fire-proof ; and if 

 layers of non-conducting material, such as paper, are inserted between iron 

 and wood, it is also heat and frost-proof. 



V. — How to Make a Start. 



How to make a start in bee-keeping will depend upon whether the 

 beginner is taking up bee-culture as a business, or as a side issue of 

 some other occupation. If it is intended to adopt it as the only calling, 

 then the best way is to go as a w'orking pupil with an up-to-date apiarist 

 for a season or two. Even if a premium has to be paid for the first 

 year, it will be less costly than the experience gained by failure. After 

 the first season, a pupil will have learned enough to entitle him to some 

 pay for the second year, or he may be competent enough to run a small 

 apiary on shares with the owner. By the end of the second year, sufficient 

 confidence and experience will have been acquired to make an independent 

 .^tart. 



When means or circumstances do not permit of taking a position as 

 pupil in an established apiary, or when bee-keeping is to be only a side 

 issue, then it is best to start in quite a small way. Begin with two or 



