THK APIARY. 
365 
certain destruction. The hives may be arranged in 
two tiers, and, supposing three to stand in line on 
each side of the house, the central one of the three 
will need a back only, since the proximate sides of 
the two outer ones will be party walls. The entrances 
should be kept as far as practicable apart, by making 
them at the outer angle of the outer hives ; while 
painting the alighting-boards of unlike colours may 
be of service. My own bee-house long since came 
under the chopper, but Mr. Root thinks well of the 
house apiary, and sums it up thus : “ It is always 
sheltered and dry, and, if the building is kept painted, 
the hives will always be in good repair ; this is quite 
an advantage over outdoor hives. The hives can be 
much more quickly opened, as they need no other 
covering than the chaff cushions in winter, and a single 
sheet of cloth in summer.* Secondly, surplus honey, 
either extracted or comb, can be removed in less time ; 
for we have only to remove it and store it in the centre 
of the room, instead of the laborious carrying that has 
to be done with outdoor hives. Also empty combs, 
combs filled for destitute colonies, empty frames^ frames 
of section-boxes, and, in short, everything needed in 
working about the hives, may be stored in the centre 
of the room within arm’s reach. Furthermore, we can 
handle the bees, and do all kinds of work with them 
during rainy and wet weather, when the outdoor hives 
could not be touched. Nay, further, we can handle 
the bees by lamplight after the duties of the day are 
over. We have repeatedly made new colonies thus, 
to avoid robber bees that were so annoying in the 
In our climate this would be inadequate. 
