iO li(.i -hi:i: piiKj III \ ictiiriii. 



ht*-keepers of having two sites for an apiar\ — one for breeding up in spring 

 and wintering; the other for securing the honey crop. The moving of 

 the liees from the winter site to the honey country, and back again when 

 the honey-flow is o\er, entails a considerable amount of work, which can 

 h>e a\-oided if a sit'cr is secured on the border line of the two classes of 

 countrw 



Licences. 

 When locating on forest or other Crown lands, it is necessary to obtain 

 two licences — a bee- farm licence for one acre upon which to place the 

 apiary, and a bee-range licence which secures to the holder the exclusive 

 use of the bee flora for a radius of one mile. No other bee-farm licence 

 is allowed at a lesser distance than two miles. The payments to be made 

 are los. a vcar for a bee-farm site, and 'd. per acre for the radius of the 

 licf r.iiigi^. iir aboiu £4 4s. a vear. 



Site of Apiary. 



Ha\ing decided upon the locality, the spot upon which the hives are 

 to be set out should be selected, with due regard to its suitability for the 

 bees and convenience of working the apiary. 



An even, gently sloping surface, of gravelly or sandy soil, will be found 

 most suitable. It should, if possible, be sheltered bv a natural or artificial 

 breakwind on the south and west. A slope to the north or east is prefer- 

 able to one to the south or west. 



The honey-house should be placed at the lower end, and the hives 

 arranged in such a way that a good general view can be obtained from the 

 door and windows of the building, so that during the swarming season the 

 apiary may be under observation while necessary indoor work is being 

 done. Having the building at the lower end of the ground has the double 

 a(l\antage of getting a batter view of the whole apiarv and of moving the 

 su]jers of heavv honevcombs down hill at extracting time 



It is not adyisal.ile to stand hives under e\'ergreen trees, such as pines 

 or eucalypts. Colonies in permanently shaded positions never thrive so 

 well as others out in the open. If placed under deciduous trees, as for 

 instance in an orchard, the hives will have shade during the hottest part of 

 the day in summer, and sunshine during the cold months of the year when 

 the trees are not in leaf. 



Arrangement of Hives. 



In laying out the apiary, it is better to place the hives in groups of 

 t«os. threes, or fours, with a longer distance between the groups, than to 

 stand the hives singly in rows. The group system lends itself better to 

 the \-arious necessary oiierations of uniting or dividing colonies and in 

 moving about amongst the hives ; it gives more space between the groups 

 than would be the case betw'sen the same number of hives placed sino-ly. 



\M-ien grouping hives, the entrances should point in different direc- 

 tions. Xone, how-ever, should face the south, as the strongest and coldest 

 winds come front that quarter. It is also ad\'isable to vary the grouping 

 so that no two adjoining groups will be exactly alike. This Will to a grea't 

 extent prevent the straying of returning field bees and the loss of \-'irgin 

 queens returning from th-ir mating flight. The latter frequently occurs 

 when hives .stand in symmetrical rows and without anv variation in the 

 arrangement and without distinguishing landmarks. 



