124 PROTECTION. 



lodge their bees in thin hives, in spite of their conviction of 

 the folly of so doing ; just as many^of our shrewdest Yan- 

 kees build thin, wooden houses, in the cold climate of New 

 England, or plaster their stone or brick ones directly on the 

 wall, when the extra cost of fuel to warm them, far exceeds 

 the interest on the additional expense which would be neces- 

 sary to give them the requisite protection ; to say nothing of 

 the doctors' bills, and fatal diseases which can be traced 

 often to the dreary barns or damp vaults which they build, 

 and call houses ! 



In the first edition of this work, I recommended placing the 

 hives over a trench, dug in the ground, from which, by 

 means of ventilators in the bottom-boards, they could obtain 

 a supply of cool air in Summers and warm air in Winter. 

 This -trench I called a Protector. Subsequent experiments 

 have, however, fully convinced me that it is not adapted to 

 secure the ends proposed. In most situations it will be damp 

 in Winter, while at the same time, the extra protection fur- 

 nished is not sufficient to justify the expense. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Ventilation of the Hive. 



If a populous hive is examined on a warm Summer day, 

 a considerable number of bees will be found standing on the 

 alighting board, with their heads turned towards the entrance, 

 the extremity of their bodies slightly elevated, and their 

 wings in such rapid motion that they are almost as indistinct 



