APIARIES. 



529 



nailed over the canvass, in order to 

 strengthen the rails — one going round at 

 the top of the door, and the other at the 

 bottom, so that the door is between the 

 hoops. Another piece of canvass is put 

 over the first, and nailed all round as 

 before, which makes the frame quite firm 

 and strong. Now brush the canvass all 

 over with thin paste made of flour and 

 water, in order to fill the canvass and 

 make it stiff, to keep the paint from going 

 through the first canvass next the honey ; 

 and, when dry, give two coats of white 

 paint. When the paint is dry, lay the 

 whole surface over with strong putty, in 

 imitation of the back of the elm, ash, or 

 any tree to your fancy. When dry, paint 

 it as like the colour as you can, and stick 

 pieces of moss or lichen from the trees in 

 the putty. There may be some fixture on 

 the top, to throw off the rain. This one has 

 a large cone of the stone pine for the bees 

 to light upon. The sticks are fixed cross- 

 wise, proceeding from the three entrance- 

 holes to each side of the door in the rear, 

 Currant bushes are growing up the two 

 sides, and a few plants of thyme in front. 

 The bee-holes in the bark look like key- 

 holes, and they, being the same colour as 

 in a door, and painted like bark, are not 

 noticed. They have brass outside shuts 

 in cold weather." 



The same correspondent contributed, 

 at the same time, the following descrip- 

 tion of another bee-hive, from which the 

 honey may be taken without destroying 

 the bees. The preservation of these 

 industrious insects demands of us much 

 more attention than has hitherto been 

 bestowed upon the subject. The practice 

 of destroying them is a species of unne- 

 cessary cruelty, and in an economical 

 point of view like " killing the goose that 

 laid the golden eggs." 



The following is Mr Young's descrip- 

 tion : — " Make a square hive of straw : 

 when at the height of 5 inches, work a 

 floor of the same all over, leaving three 

 round holes in the middle, about half an 

 inch wide, in this way, ° 0 °. Get a bee- 

 hive, and fix a few thin willow sticks up 

 the sides and top inside. Line the inside 

 with canvass fixed to the sticks, and 

 fastened outside the hive. Fix a thin 

 board in the mouth of the hive, making it 

 fit quite close and tight. Then make 

 three holes in the middle, the same as 



VQL. I. 



before noticed, which lay over the holes 

 in the division or floor. Then continue 

 making the outside hive until high 

 enough to permit the passage of the 

 other ; and leave a door to open, to take 

 it out and put another in. Three sticks 

 are to be placed from the bottom to the 

 holes in the floor, for the bees to creep 

 up into the upper hive, where it is likely 

 they will first begin. When the upper 

 hive is full of honey, take it out, and put 

 in another, leaving always what honey is 

 in the under one for their support. When 

 you wish to take the honey, set the 

 hive on a dish, cut the fastening of the 

 canvass and sticks, and shake the hive 

 until the combs slip out on the dish; 

 then remove the canvass, and the honey 

 will be clean and the combs whole. If 

 any bees remain in the combs, brush 

 them off with a feather, and they will fly 

 back into the hive again." 



Pillans' Mm. — Mr Pillans — rather dis- 

 satisfied with Nutt's hives, as being by 



Fig. 752. 



him 



too 



considered 

 hot for the 



bees during sum- 

 mer, and also too 

 cold in winter — 

 says, " This spring 

 I have had some 

 boxes made," as 

 shown in fig. 7 52, 

 " but with hipped 

 roofs, which look 

 much neater, and 

 are made to turn 

 round on an iron 

 pin fixed in a 

 block of wood, so 

 that when the sun 

 shines upon the 

 front of the box 

 in winter, it can be turned round to face 

 the north, which prevents the bees from 

 coming out and perishing from cold." 



Reference : a a height of the frame ; 

 b the hive ; c c space between outer 

 and inner box, rilled with charcoal ; 

 d d d spaces made with zinc tubing, to 

 admit the bees from the lower to the 

 upper hive ; e e spaces filled with char- 

 coal ; / ditto, with the lid ; g space 

 for placing the glasses ; h the alighting 

 board, and aperture for ingress and 

 egress ; i the hinges of the lid ; k space 

 between frame, filled with charcoal ; I 



3 x 



