APIARY 
59 
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APIARY OF HARRY DUBOIS ON THE LOXAHATCHIE RIVER, FLORIDA. 
The idea of a screetu of slats overhead is not to shut off the sun’s rays entirely, but to break them up. 
Too much shade does as much harm as too little in this country. The same general scheme of semi-shading 
could he carried out elsewhere to advantage in many localities. It would not answer in Arizona, New 
Mexico, and the Imperial Valley, California, because the sun is too hot and the climate too dry. 
thor’s home yard, a view of which is shown 
several pages ahead, it will be noted that 
the individual colonies are placed on the 
north side of the individual grapevine trel¬ 
lises. These trellises are between six and 
seven feet high. The vines are all very care¬ 
fully trimmed; and we usually estimate 
that the amount of fruit pays for the labor 
of keeping them in order. Strangers at 
any time are permitted to go thru this 
yard, and it is very seldom that any one is 
stung, because an occasional cross bee or 
dozens of them, on account of the obstruc¬ 
tions to the general view by the vines, are 
unable to see any moving object, and 
therefore they do not follow one about nor 
offer to attack. 
TOO MUCH SHADE DETRIMENTAL. 
If the orchard where the bees are to be 
located is made up of old trees, then there 
can be from four to five hives grouped 
under each tree. If, on the other hand, it 
consists of young ones, then not more than 
one or two hives should be placed at a tree, 
and in that case always on the north side, 
so as to be in the shade. The hives should 
be so located that they will get the morning 
sun up to eight or nine o’clock, and the 
afternoon sun from three or four o’clock 
on. Too much shade is detrimental, and 
too much hot sun pouring directly on the 
hives is equally bad. Experience has 
shown conclusively that a very dense shade 
over bees in the morning hours is detrimen¬ 
tal. Colonies located on the west side of a 
building or barn, or under densely’foliaged 
trees, so that they do not get the morning 
sun, will not, as a rule, be as far along by 
the time the honey flow comes on as those 
that have only moderate shade. On the 
other hand, an afternoon shade does not 
do as much harm as one in the forenoon. 
If one does not have trees of any sort in 
his yard—what shall he do? One of four 
courses lies open: First, to use double- 
walled hives; second, single-walled hives 
with shade-boards; third, single-walled 
hives having on the south side of them 
some sort of vine that can be reared up 
