Arrangement of Hives and Buildings 



In a small apiary the matter of arrangement is not of great impor- 

 tance ; but as the number of colonies begins to approach loo, the question 

 of arrangement becomes one of considerable importance. Two things 

 need consideration : the convenience of the operator, and the giving of 

 such an individuality to each hive that each bee can readily distinguish 

 its home. 



Before discussing these points it might be w ell to say a iew words 

 about the location of the apiary. First, it ought to be some distance 

 from the highway. What that distance should be, depends upon what 

 there is between the bees and the street. If there are buildings or trees, 

 or even a high fence, the bees may be quite near the road : as, in their 

 flight, they rise above these obstructions, and thus fl}' over the heads 

 of the passersby. If there is nothing between the apiary and the high- 

 way, the apiary ought not to be nearer the street than ten rods, and 

 fifteen or twenty rods would be better. It is possible with a small apiary 

 to avoid trouble even if it is located near the street. When it is neces- 

 sary to handle the bees when no honey is coming in, and such handling 

 is likel}' to irritate them, the work can be done just before dark, when the 

 bees will not fly far from their hives ; but in a large apiary there is too 

 much work that must be done when the bees may not be in an amiable 

 mood, to enable the operator to perform it during the twilight of even- 

 ing. If necessary, the bee-keeper can protect himself with a veil, and, 

 armed with a smoker, he can go on with the work, even if the bees 

 are a little "cross," but the apiary must be isolated. 



Nearly level ground is preferable in an apiary. If it slopes gently 

 to the south or east, so much the better. It should never be in such a 

 location that the water will stand upon the ground. 



I have tried placing the honey-house in the center of the apiary, 

 and having the hives in long double rows that radiated from the honey- 

 house as the spokes in a wheel radiate from the hub. In each double 

 row a space large enough for a wheelbarrow is left between the hives, 

 and the entrances of the hives are turned away from the path left for 

 the operator and his wheelbarrow. So far as reducing the labor of 

 going to and from the hives is concerned, this arrangement is excellent ; 

 but it has the quite serious objection that only part of the apiary can be 



