APTARY 
destroy all their nests within a radius of 
100 yards of the apiary by the application 
of bisulphide of carbon to their nests. But 
this precaution alone will not suffice, and it 
will be necessary to adopt further meas¬ 
ures. Luckily it is not difficult to do this, 
as tropical beekeepers are obliged to keep 
their hives under a shed, for excellent rea¬ 
sons. 
In erecting a shed, therefore, we can 
take measures to prevent effectually the 
ants having access to the hives at all. All 
we have to do is to add cups to all the posts 
used to support the structure. The illus¬ 
tration preceding shows very clearly how 
this is accomplished with but little expense 
or trouble. The cups are filled with coal 
tar, creosote, or crude petroleum, all of 
which the ants positively dislike for two 
reasons—they stick to their feet and the 
smell is repulsive. No ant will attempt to 
cross such a mess as this, hence the bees are 
secure. The warm climate keeps the tar. 
etc., always soft; and if some rain falls 
into the cups it does no harm, as the water 
also tastes of the tar. 
In working with the bees care should be 
taken to see nothing is left which will form 
a “bridge” whereby the ants will manage 
to reach the beehives while the apiarist is 
absent. One of the worst things that can 
happen is to allow the ants to get a taste of 
the bees; for once they do they are sure to 
linger around waiting for an opportunity 
to get into the hive. 
APIARIST. —An apiarist is one who 
manages one or more yards of bees for 
profit. 
APIARY. —A place where a number of 
colonies of bees is kept is called an apiary 
or bee-yard. 
LOCATION. 
There is scarcely a spot on the surface of 
the earth where mankind finds sustenance 
that will not, to some extent, support bees, 
altho they may do much better in some 
localities than in others. A few years ago 
it was thought that only localities especial¬ 
ly favored would give big honey crops; but 
since the introduction of modern races, and 
the new methods of management, we are 
each year astonished to hear of big yields 
here and there, and from almost every 
quarter of the globe. It will certainly pay 
to try a colony or two of bees, no matter 
where, one may be located. 
Beekeeping is practiced even in the heart 
of some of our large cities. In the sub¬ 
urban districts bees can be kept on a small 
plot of ground in the back yard. In the 
heart of business sections bees are very 
often kept on the roofs of buildings, some¬ 
times on the very top of skyscrapers. In 
such cases, on account of the intense sun¬ 
light and lack of natural shade in the form 
of bushes, shade-boards should be provided 
as described further on in this article. Such 
an apiary should be established like those 
on the ground in all essential points. 
It is not always possible to select just 
the location for an apiary that one might 
like, and it is therefore necessary to take 
what he can get; but where conditions per¬ 
mit it is advisable to select the rear of a 
village lot; or, if located on a farm, back 
of the house in an orchard. Avoid locating 
the bees next to a line fence on the other 
side of which is a cultivated field. A team 
of horses while working the soil may get 
stung. 
The ground for the apiary should be 
■ lolled and smoothed down so that a lawn 
mower can be run over every portion of it. 
as the grass should be kept down around 
the hives. Moreover, a smooth plot of 
ground renders the use of a wheelbarrow 
or handcar for handling loads much more 
pleasant and convenient. An ideal spot 
would be an orchard of young trees 75 
or 100 feet from the road or highway. 
Usually the rear end of the village lot just 
back of the house will answer very nicely. 
If the apiary must be located close to the 
highway, then a high hoard fence should 
be placed between the bees and the street. 
